Your snoring may be harming more than your marriage! By Marvin W. Berlin, DDS mckinneydentist.com

Snoring isn’t something to make fun of or ignore. Those loud gurgling noises we make at night could be the beginning of a serious problem called Sleep Apnea … sleep apnea can be deadly if not treated.

Snoring occurs when the air you are trying to breath is vibrating off the tissue located in the back of your throat. The tissue may be swollen or your lower jaw may be falling backwards when you are sleeping causing your tongue to block the air. What starts as annoying snoring with some of the air being blocked can progress to Sleep Apnea where ALL of the air is blocked. When you stop breathing for ten seconds you have had an Apnea Event. If you stop breathing more than 5 times per hour you have Sleep Apnea. Some patients stop breathing over 100 times per hour. The bottom line is that snoring is not just keeping your spouse awake, but more importantly, preventing your body from getting oxygen and thus damaging to your body without you even knowing it.When you stop breathing while you sleep it changes how your body rests. When we sleep we go through four stages over and over during the night. The stages are N1, N2, N3, and REM. N1 and N2 are when your body rests. N3 is when your body regulates the hormones that control the health of your body. These hormones regulate weight loss and gain, cholesterol levels, immune system strength, insulin levels, and so on. It is also the stage where you process data into memory. REM is when your body processes emotions. When you stop breathing at night you don’t get to go through these stages properly. If you snore and have gained excess weight or can’t lose weight, have diabetes, heart problems, constant sinus problems, menstrual irregularities, periodontal disease, clench or grind your teeth, headaches, have trouble focusing or remembering, or depression, your problems may be coming from a lack of quality sleep.To determine if you have Sleep Apnea you first need to be evaluated by a dentist or doctor that has experience treating Sleep Apnea and Snoring. Your dentist/doctor will then order you or provide you a sleep study.

The treatment of Sleep Apnea will vary depending on how severe your throat is blocked. The simplest treatment that can be very effective is a dental mouth piece that keeps your jaw from falling backwards. If your throat is too closed the tissue in your throat can be trimmed with a laser. A third option is to use an air pump called a CPAP to force air into your lungs. MWM

Dr. Marvin W. Berlin is a family dentist who has been treating patients here in McKinney since 1994. He has worked with many types of mouth splints and currently only recommends the SomnoDent appliance. www.somnodent.com. For additional information visit www.mckinneydentist.com or call (972) 547-6453.