Get Treated For Snoring & Sleep Apnea in Omaha
You might think, “Everyone snores, so it’s a condition that can be left alone and ignored, right?” Wrong. Even though most people decide to take no action to solve their snoring problem, the fact remains that it may be linked to a very serious health condition known as sleep apnea. While it isn’t the case for all patients who seek help from Advanced Dental Sleep Treatment Center, having undiagnosed and untreated sleep apnea can cause all sorts of health risks. Of course, for some patients, it may result from something less serious, but sleep apnea cannot be ruled out unless proper testing (an at-home or overnight sleep study) and examinations have been completed. It’s important for us to know if we are treating simple snoring or sleep apnea. Either way, your condition needs to be treated, as both have adverse health effects, and both impact you and those you love.
Why Do I Snore?
For each patient, there is usually a different reason or a combination of factors that cause snoring, but it usually occurs because the soft tissues in the throat, along with the soft palate, begin to vibrate due to airway restriction. When air isn’t able to flow in and out of your airway freely while you sleep, the tissues within your mouth and throat will begin to vibrate, which then causes you to snore.
Tissues That Contribute to Snoring
Part of the problem with finding effective snoring treatment is that there are many potential tissues in your airway that could contribute to snoring. These include:
- Deviated septum: The divider between your nostrils can lead to snoring if it’s not straight. Sometimes dilator strips can help with a deviated septum, but it might need surgery.
- Enlarged turbinates: Turbinates are nasal structures that interfere with airflow in your nose to humidify the air and improve your sense of smell. These might also benefit from dilator strips or surgery.
- Tonsils: These structures on either side of the back of the mouth narrow the entrance to the throat. If these are large, they can obstruct your breathing and lead to snoring.
- Uvula: This is the dangling structure at the back of your mouth. Sometimes surgical removal of the uvula and tonsils is recommended as a snoring treatment, but it’s not highly effective, and results are often temporary.
- Soft palate: The back of the roof of your mouth is soft and flexible, and it can obstruct airflow and vibrate to cause snoring. Some procedures can shrink or firm the soft palate to reduce snoring.
- Tongue: Your tongue can sag to block your airway. In addition, your tongue can store excess fat, narrowing your airway and leading to snoring.
- Neck fat: Fat deposits in the neck can weigh down your airway, causing it to collapse. Or it can narrow your airway, similar to a fat tongue.
- Deviated septum: The divider between your nostrils can lead to snoring if it’s not straight. Sometimes dilator strips can help with a deviated septum, but it might need surgery.
- Enlarged turbinates: Turbinates are nasal structures that interfere with airflow in your nose to humidify the air and improve your sense of smell. These might also benefit from dilator strips or surgery.
- Tonsils: These structures on either side of the back of the mouth narrow the entrance to the throat. If these are large, they can obstruct your breathing and lead to snoring.
- Uvula: This is the dangling structure at the back of your mouth. Sometimes surgical removal of the uvula and tonsils is recommended as a snoring treatment, but it’s not highly effective, and results are often temporary.
- Soft palate: The back of the roof of your mouth is soft and flexible, and it can obstruct airflow and vibrate to cause snoring. Some procedures can shrink or firm the soft palate to reduce snoring.
- Tongue: Your tongue can sag to block your airway. In addition, your tongue can store excess fat, narrowing your airway and leading to snoring.
- Neck fat: Fat deposits in the neck can weigh down your airway, causing it to collapse. Or it can narrow your airway, similar to a fat tongue.
For many of these anatomical issues, oral appliance therapy is an effective treatment.
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Lifestyle Factors That
Contribute to Snoring
Lifestyle Factors That Contribute to Snoring
However, it’s not just your anatomy that contributes to snoring. Many aspects of your lifestyle can make your snoring worse.
Sleeping on your back can make your airway more likely to collapse. Consumption of alcohol in the evening can relax the tissues of your airway, leading to airway collapse. Smoking irritates your airway, causing it to swell and narrow.
If you consume foods that you have a mild allergic reaction to, it will swell your airway and narrow it.
Maintaining a healthy weight can also help reduce the frequency and volume of your snoring.
If you find that you are snoring on a consistent basis, it is time to consult with the Advanced Dental Sleep Treatment Center so that this problem can be addressed and treated properly. Remember that snoring affects not only you but those around you, especially if it is known to be quite loud.
Snoring and Sleep Apnea – A Possible Link
While not every patient with nightly snoring also suffers from sleep apnea, it never hurts to be tested for the condition. Knowing whether or not you suffer from sleep apnea as well will make finding the snoring treatment you require much easier. Those patients who snore as a result of sleep apnea often need a different type of treatment that is more focused on treating sleep apnea as opposed to simple snoring.
Learn More About Snoring in Omaha
Until proper testing and diagnosis are completed, there is no guarantee that your snoring problem may be caused by sleep apnea (especially obstructive sleep apnea or OSA). Many snoring devices have helped lessen, if not completely stop, one’s snore problem; however, with sleep apnea, just masking it is not enough. It could potentially make undiagnosed sleep apnea worse!
If you’re unsure whether you have sleep apnea or if you’re looking to find the proper device that is suitable to treat your snoring problem, be sure to schedule an appointment at the Advanced Dental Sleep Treatment Center to figure out the best course of action. The doctors at Advanced Dental Sleep Treatment Center are experienced in working with patients who suffer from sleep apnea and those who snore at night. We will help you obtain the proper testing and diagnosis with the help of trained medical professionals.
Finding out if your snoring is a result of OSA is easy! Simply call our office at (402) 493-4175 to set up an appointment with one of our Doctors to discuss this problem and to see if you are a good candidate for our snoring treatment options. Patients may also contact our office online.
