4 Facts About Snoring You Need To Know

Laying in bed, you hear a noise come from your partner and realize they are snoring. Light or occasional snoring, while it may be disruptive to your sleep, is common and doesn’t usually signify a major problem. But if you are kept awake, night after night, by loud snoring, this could be a sign of a larger problem with your partner. Or if you are someone who wakes up hundreds of times throughout the night because you stop breathing due to an obstructed airway, you have symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea. Most people who have sleep apnea go undiagnosed because they believe it is just them snoring and not a warning of a more serious condition.

If snoring is loud and happens on most evenings it is time to get help. While it may seem strange to go to your prosthodontist for a sleep problem, Dr. Judy Strutz and her team can complete a comprehensive evaluation to determine if your snoring is a sign of a sleep apnea and she can then help provide options to help.

Snoring can be characterized as gasping for air, choking or making snorting sounds. Throughout the evening, due to a partial air blockage, your body may feel it is not getting enough oxygen. In order to compensate for the lack of oxygen, you may wake up several times in order to, “catch your breath,” says Dr. Strutz. This constant waking up can cause problems with overall quality of sleep and can also impact your memory, work performance and ability to function during the day.

Snoring can create sleep deprivation. If your body is waking up all throughout the night you may never hit the REM sleep that is necessary in order to feel restful and not tired the next evening. Individuals who are constantly tired may also struggle with relationships, have less tolerance for others or lose mental focus.

Snoring and sleep apnea should not go untreated, especially now that there are simple ways in which you can fix this problem. Call today to ensure a restful night’s sleep tomorrow.

Sleep Apnea & How It Impacts You

Most of us don’t think about visiting our dentist when we have sleep apnea, but Dr. Judith Strutz is just the prosthodontist to visit. Sleep apnea can be very dangerous and often goes untreated. During the sleep cycle, an individual may stop and start breathing again over one hundred times a night, because they are constantly waking up to get air. When this happens, you can easily become sleep deprived.

Sleep deprivation has multiple side effects including falling asleep during inopportune times, moodiness, and/or poor concentration. The longer your body goes without the quality sleep it requires, the more symptoms you can be impacted by on a daily basis. If left untreated you will have a higher risk of problems to body organs, which could lead to job loss or even death if you quit breathing long enough.  Heart disease and high blood pressure can also occur in individuals with sleep apnea.

 Symptoms of sleep apnea can include:

·      Gasping for breath that wakes you up

·      Chronic fatigue

·      Morning headaches

·      Difficulty paying attention.

If you are concerned you may have sleep apnea, call or visit the office of Dr. Judy Strutz for more information.

Your body thrives on the proper amount of oxygen to the brain and a deep restful sleep. Sleep apnea unfortunately impacts both of these needs.