How to Stop Snoring: Remedies That Work and When to See a Dentist
Sometimes a soft, gentle snore can serve as the white noise that lulls your loved one to sleep. Alternatively, your snoring may be waking you and your partner throughout the night. If so, it’s time to take action.
Snoring affects millions of people, either occasionally or chronically. If you suffer from frequent, loud snoring that disrupts sleep, the first thing you should do is visit your trusted dentist near Buffalo, Minnesota, to discuss testing and treatment options.
Whether simple lifestyle changes will do the trick or you need a sleep study to diagnose potential sleep apnea, certain solutions can help you enjoy better slumber and possibly reduce related health risks. Here’s what you should know about the benefits of professional evaluation and treatment.
Potential Causes of Snoring
Before you can treat snoring, you must understand what’s causing it. Why do people snore? There are several possible contributing factors to the onset of snoring.
Some people experience temporary snoring related to allergies, illness, or the use of medications, such as sleeping pills or antihistamines. Lifestyle choices like alcohol consumption and smoking could also be causes.
Your age, weight, and gender may be factors in ongoing sleep issues. Men are more likely to snore, but it could also coincide with late pregnancy.
Anatomy could play a role if you have a large tongue and a small mouth, or facial bones with irregular shapes. Temporary swelling of soft tissues like the palate, uvula, tonsils, or adenoids might lead to snoring, as well.
In serious cases, you may be diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea, a chronic condition in which airways become blocked during sleep, causing patients to temporarily stop breathing.
Start With Simple Lifestyle Changes
If you experience occasional or minor issues, simple snoring remedies could provide the best solution. Changing your sleeping position or getting a pillow that better supports your head and neck might help.
If you frequently enjoy a glass of wine with dinner or a nightcap before bed, consider reducing nighttime alcohol intake. Asthma and allergy sufferers may see an improvement in snoring by focusing on managing nasal congestion. In some cases, overweight patients see significant improvement by reaching and maintaining a healthy weight.
Over-the-Counter Snoring Remedies
If at-home remedies aren’t doing the trick, over-the-counter (OTC) products may help you improve your symptoms. Nasal sprays can be a real boon for allergy sufferers, especially during allergy season. If you don’t want a pharmaceutical solution, you might try nasal strips designed to open airways.
If the structure of your mouth or the position of your jaw is causing airway collapse, you may benefit from a generic mouthpiece (mandibular advancement device) that shifts your jaw to keep airways open while you sleep. It’s important to remember that while these options are affordable, over-the-counter products for snoring aren’t likely to be as comfortable or successful as custom dental appliances.
When Snoring Could Be Something More
Temporary or chronic snoring that is even, measured, and generally doesn’t disrupt sleep is an annoyance that might be easily addressed. If you suffer from chronic snoring that is loud and disruptive, it could signal a more serious condition: sleep apnea. What is sleep apnea?
This condition is characterized by long pauses in breathing (several seconds), followed by loud gasps, snorts, or choking sounds. If such lapses in breathing occur more than five times per hour, it is considered sleep apnea.
Other sleep apnea symptoms include fatigue, low energy, lack of focus, memory impairment, poor performance, headaches, and even anxiety and depression. Long-term, it could also increase risks for health concerns like high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes.
How a Dentist Can Help
In addition to common dental services like cleanings, checkups, and X-rays, dentists can help you diagnose and determine how to stop snoring. Testing could include screening for airway concerns and evaluating jaw and bite position.
In some cases, a custom dental guard helps immensely and offers greater comfort and efficacy than generic, OTC products. However, sleep apnea may require specialized equipment, such as a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. If your dentist suspects sleep apnea, a further consultation with a sleep specialist may be necessary.
When to Seek Further Testing
If nothing seems to help with your snoring, and it’s starting to impact your daily life, it’s time to ask your dentist or primary physician to refer you to a somnologist (sleep medicine specialist) for a sleep study. With proper diagnosis and sleep apnea treatment, you can see significant improvements in how you feel during your sleeping and waking hours.
Don’t Suffer With Sleep Disruption From Snoring
Snoring can be relatively harmless, but not always. In some cases, it could disrupt your daily life and increase risks for serious health concerns. If you’re struggling with snoring, schedule a consultation with Dental Care Associates of Buffalo now. We’re happy to perform an evaluation and discuss next steps.
