Snoring and Sleep Apnea
SNORING
What causes snoring?
During sleep, the muscles and soft tissues in the throat and mouth relax making the airway smaller. Sometimes the tongue falls back into the throat and obstructs the airway. The decrease in the airway space increases the velocity of the incoming air while breathing. As the velocity of the air increases, soft tissues can begin to vibrate. These vibrations result in the snoring sound and damage the tissues, causing inflammation and edema which further narrows the airway.
Common causes of snoring include:
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- Large tonsils
- A long soft palate or uvula
- Excessive flabby tissue at the throat
- Nasal congestion from colds, allergies or deformities of cartilage within the nose.
- Supine body position (lying face up)
- Hypothyroidism
- Menopause
The most common cause of snoring, however, is a tongue muscle which relaxes too much during sleep and allows the tongue to be sucked back into the airway with each breath.
How to prevent snoring
Today, over-the-counter products, lifestyle changes, surgery, pharmacological treatments and mandibular advancement devices are all used to treat snoring. None of these methods, however, have had tremendous success in eliminating snoring all together.
Dental appliances are becoming the preferred solution for treating snoring and are increasingly being prescribed by physicians and managed by qualified dentists. A variety of FDA dental devices have been designed to support the jaw in a forward position while sleeping to reduce air velocity and soft tissue vibration and collapse. These traditional mandibular appliances are easy to wear, portable, and safe, but the tongue is only indirectly moved forward by moving the mandible.
For additional information on Dental appliances, please speak with your dentist.
SLEEP APNEA
Sleep apnea is a type of breathing disorder which is a serious, potentially life-threatening condition characterized by brief interruptions of breathing during sleep. There are basically three types of apnea:
There are basically three types of apnea:
1. Central Apnea
The upper airway is open, but no oxygen is getting into the system. This occurs because the patient is not getting a chemical response from the brain to stimulate the lungs and the diaphragm to assist with breathing.
2. Obstructive Sleep Apnea
The lungs and the diaphragm are functioning normally, but no oxygen is entering the system because there is an obstruction in the upper airway.
3. Mixed Apnea
This is a combination of central and obstructive sleep apnea.
Oral appliances are only indicated for use in patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The signs and symptoms of OSA include snoring, excessive daytime sleepiness, gasping or choking during the night, non-refreshed sleep, fragmented sleep, clouded memory, irritability, personality changes, decreased sex drive, impotence, and morning headaches.
Factors that affect obstructive sleep apnea are as follows:
- Age
- Obesity
- Alcohol
- Sedative Hypnotics (sleeping pills)
Children can also snore and suffer from obstructive sleep apnea. Often they are highly allergic and their airway is blocked due to enlarged adenoids, tonsils or swollen nasal mucosa. Clinical signs would indicate a turned up nose, allergic shiners under the eyes, mucous draining out of the nose, mouth breathing, and a nasal sound to the voice. Other signs are bed wetting, irritability, difficulty in concentrating at school and hyperactivity
