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Why do I snore?
You snore when something blocks the flow of air through your mouth and nose. The sound is caused
by tissues at the top of your airway that strike each other and vibrate. (MedlinePlus)
Is it true that only men snore?
No, although they are more likely to. Here is what the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) 2002 Sleep in America Poll revealed:
37% adults snored at least a few nights a week during
the previous year.
27% said that they snored every night or almost every night.
42% of males reported that they snored compared with 31% of females.
What are the consequences of snoring?
Snoring is a form of sleep disordered breathing (SDB). It may be “primary” – meaning a person only has snoring without obstructive sleep apnea. Or it may be a manifestation of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) whether diagnosed or not.
“Snoring can cause headaches, difficulty in concentration, fatigue
and reduced work performance. The effects of snoring can also annoy one's bed partner, whose sleep quality may also take
a toll due to their mate's snoring.” (NSF)
Does snoring need to be treated?
Yes, for the following reasons:
If snoring affects your bed partner, you owe it to him or her to allow him/her to have a good night’s sleep.
If your snoring keeps you awake (some people actually get woken up by the loudness of their own snoring), then you owe it
to yourself to get a good night’s sleep.
If your snoring is a manifestation of sleep apnea, then
you owe it to yourself to be treated for the cessation of breathing. Nobody can stop breathing many times a night and still
claim to have restful sleep.
How is snoring treated?
At Lifeway, we believe that snoring should be treated at its source. That means, since it is caused by a combination of a narrowed airway and mobile tissues (the soft palate and/or the uvula), and since we cannot increase or decrease the mobility of these soft tissues, our best alternative is to widen the airway.
(There are plastic implants that may be inserted into
the soft palate that would stiffen it up. Please consult your ENT doctor about this. Some people have even removed parts of the soft palate to stop snoring. This is
a major medical decision that must be taken only after a thorough investigation and consulted with the relevant health providers.)
Our
treatment of choice at Lifeway is to use oral appliance for the treatment of snoring. There are appliances that are targeted
at ‘primary snoring,’ but almost all of our patients have snoring with sleep apnea. We treated them with
the appliances listed in this site.
Some lifestyle changes may also help in alleviating snoring. Please
go to the National Sleep Foundation website for more details. (See “Links” page.)
What about the ‘boil and bite appliances’ that I can buy at the drug store?
Some marketers sell soft thermoplastic ‘mouth-guards’ which you take home, boil them in hot water to soften it, put them in your mouth and bite to mold the plastic to the shape of your teeth. These, I call ‘boil and bite’ appliances.
The problems with these ‘boil and bite’ appliances are:
they can not be softened enough to accurately to fit
your teeth; (The temperature required to achieve the right softness would probably burn your gums too.)
you don’t know how far forward your jaw needs to be to widen up the airway enough to eliminate snoring; (You may even
traumatize your jaw joints!)
those areas of the ‘boil and bite’ that do not fit your gums would poke into your gums to cause ulcers.
They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds;
There is no one who does good. (Psa 14:1)
9303 Seminole Blvd Suite D
Seminole FL 33772
Tel 727-394-1631 or 727-391-LIFE (5433)
Copyright Alfred W Choi