Fed up of Snoring?
What is snoring?
Snoring is a condition that can be a terrible problem in your life. It can cause issues within relationships as well as daytime tiredness for the snorer and their partner.
What causes snoring?
Snoring is caused by partial closures of your airways due to relaxed muscles in your neck, seriously restricting the passage of air. Your body compensates for this by forcing air through. This causes vibrations of the soft tissues lining the airway which in turn generates the noise of snoring.
There are also several other possible reasons why people snore such as blocked or stuffy nose , sleeping on your back, sleeping with your mouth open or a deviated septum. In addition, other factors such as overeating, lack of exercise, smoking and excessive alcohol intake may contribute to snoring.
Is snoring serious?
Yes, it disturbs sleeping patterns and deprives the snorer of appropriate rest. When snoring is severe, it can cause serious, long term health problems, including obstructive sleep apnoea.
What is Obstructive Sleep Apnoea?
When loud snoring is interrupted by frequent episodes of totally obstructed breathing, it is known as obstructive sleep apnea. Serious episodes last more than ten seconds each and occur more than seven times per hour. Apnoea patients may experience 30 to 300 such events per night. These episodes can reduce blood oxygen levels, causing the heart to pump harder.
The immediate effect of sleep apnoea is that the snorer must sleep lightly and keep his muscles tense in order to keep airflow to the lungs. Because the snorer does not get a good rest, he may be sleepy during the day, which impairs job performance and makes him a hazardous driver or equipment operator. After many years with this disorder, elevated blood pressure and heart enlargement may occur.
Self-Help for the Light Snorer
Adults who suffer from mild or occasional snoring should try the following self-help remedies: Adopt a healthy and athletic lifestyle to develop good muscle tone and lose weight.
- Avoid tranquillisers, sleeping pills, and antihistamines before bedtime.
- Avoid alcohol for at least four hours and heavy meals or snacks for three hours before retiring.
- Establish regular sleeping patterns
- Sleep on your side rather than your back.
- Tilt the head of your bed upwards four inches.
Remember, snoring means obstructed breathing, and obstruction can be serious. It's not funny, and not hopeless.
Can heavy snoring be cured?
Snoring can be a treatable condition. We at Smile Cliniq spend time taking a thorough history and carrying out diagnostic tests as to the cause of your snoring. After this, we recommend the appropriate treatment.
Possible treatments can include nasal decongestants, antihistamines or provision of an anti-snoring device. These devices are custom made for each individual patient. The process is very simple involving the dentist taking moulds of the upper and lower jaw. These moulds are then sent to our lab where the appliance is constructed. This appliance is custom made for you and is not one of the readily available “generic” devices, where one size fits all. You will wear it when you sleep and it positions the mandible in such a way that it promotes breathing through the nose and reduces the amount of obstruction caused by the soft palate encroaching on the airway. Most patients take very little time to get used to this.
If you think you can benefit from our anti-snoring services please call us on 0208 343 1133 to book a consultation with one of our dentists.
Smile Cliniq prides itself on being able to provide painless anti snoring devices. We are one of the leading dental practices in London providing anti snoring treatments. We have won numerous awards and prizes; including best young London Dentist, best UK young London dentist and best London dental practice. Anti snoring devices are made for you in our Finchley branch in London.
