Snoring & Sleep Apnea Treatments

Know Snoring and Sleep Apnea

If you snore while sleeping, you might make sleeping difficult for people around you. Snoring can happen due to a variety of reasons including continuous sleep deprivation, obesity, or simply because of lying on your back. However, if you snore due to sleep apnea, it may impose a great threat on your overall health as well.

Sleep apnea is a breathing disorder that can make your breathing stop while you sleep. That means you might get frequent interruptions during sleeping and preventing you from getting restful sleep.

Causes of Snoring

Starting from babies to elder people, almost everyone snores from time to time. However, some people are at risk in comparison to others. As mentioned earlier, there are several reasons leading to snoring. Here we have enlisted the most common reasons that may cause snoring.

• Age: As you age, snoring becomes more common due to decreased muscle tonicity.
• Weight: For obese people tonicity is more common.
• Gender: Men are more prone to snoring.
• Positive family history: Snoring runs in families too. A positive family history can make you more prone to snoring.
• Posture: Lying down on your back can make you more prone to snoring.
• Taking alcohol and sedatives: Beverages like alcohol relax those pharyngeal muscles( muscles of the nose, throat, and tongue)  and restricts airflow through the way.

Causes of Sleep Apnea

Like snoring, anyone can have sleep apnea. However, certain factors can increase the risk factors for sleep apnea as well. Aside from the above-mentioned reasons, sleep apnea can happen due to smoking as well as anatomical disturbances.

• Smoking: As per research, those who smoke are three times more prone to sleep apnea in comparison to those who don’t smoke.
• Anatomical disturbances: Due to anatomical differences like small upper airway, small or receding jaw position, deviated nasal septum, higher tongue position, or adenoids.
• Neck circumference: The neck circumference of the male is more than female. This makes males more prone to sleep apnea.
• Association with GERD: Gastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD) can cause acid reflux from the stomach to the esophagus which can cause sleep apnea and other complications.

How do we help sleep apnea patients?

While there are numerous options available, it is critical to seek medical advice to determine whether or not there are any underlying causes. Royal East Dental’s experts will determine the best course of action for your specific needs. At Royal East Dental in Dundas, our doctors will help you improve your sleep quality and overall quality of life by planning customized steps to manage sleep apnea symptoms.

FAQ

Is snoring permanent for adults?

While snoring can happen due to multiple reasons, one of the serious conditions among them is OSA(Obstructive Sleep Apnea). Although snoring among adults is common. However, it is not always permanent. Whether it is due to anatomical disturbances, or the presence of risk factors, snoring can be treated by treating the underlying condition.

How can sleep apnea be cured for kids?

Mild sleep apnea in kids can be caused by allergies or enlarged tonsils that can be reduced by medications such as montelukast, nasal spray, or steroids. After prescribing medications, re-evaluation or follow-up is necessary. For children with moderate sleep apnea, removing some parts of the adenoids or tonsils can help to relieve sleep apnea symptoms. However, if nothing works out, pediatric CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machines are used. In such cases, as the child grows, proper fitting and re-fitting of the mask are required for effective treatment with CPAP.

How is sleep apnea treated without surgery?

Mild sleep apnea cases can be treated with medications. Apart from the medications, weight loss, oral appliances, change of posture or positional therapy can also help in relieving sleep apnea symptoms without surgery. Apart from these options, we also have access to D-SAD (Digital- Sleep Apnea Devices) dental appliances which are used for the treatment of snoring and sleep apnea as well. They are small, lightweight, and easy to wear with minimized stress on your joint (Temporomandibular Joint).
D-OCA(Digital Occlusal Appliances) is made up of CAD CAM & proprietary design software that confirms optimum precision with superior patient fitting. Hence such appliances require minimal or no adjustment and offer comfortable wearing.

Is it normal to snore every night?

More or less nearly everyone snores now and then. However, if it becomes chronic, it often points out an underlying health condition. If you snore every night, it often indicates that air is not moving freely through the air passage and there is some obstruction through the way. Research shows frequent snoring may indicate underlying cardiovascular problems, nasal or sinus problems and it may even indicate OSA(Obstructive Sleep Apnea) as well.