February 10, 2014
Snoring Can Kill
It’s a familiar image on the comics page – a man sleeping the couch with a speech bubble over his head that says something like “ZZZZZZ.”
Funny, right? Not really...
Snoring is no laughing matter. It can keep the snorer – and anyone around him – from getting a good night’s sleep. And loud snoring can be a sign of a truly deadly condition called Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
A Breathing Emergency
When you sleep the muscles in your throat relax. In people with sleep apnea this causes the upper airway to collapse, shutting off the supply of air for as long as 30 seconds at a time.
Eventually the sleeper wakes up partially and gasps for air. Then the cycle begins again, and happens over and over – as often as 400 times a night.1
Because people don’t wake up fully they may have no idea what’s happening – but their bodies know there’s been a breathing emergency. Their hearts beat faster and their blood pressure rises sharply.
Some 18 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea2 – including many who have no idea they have a problem. But, without proper treatment, all of them are at increased risk of coronary disease. In fact, according to David P. White, MD, director of the sleep disorders program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, people with sleep apnea have a 27% increased risk of heart attack and a 240% increased risk of congestive heart failure.3
Stroke risk increases, too. Researchers from the University of Alabama, Birmingham and from Germany’s University of Technology Dresden found that ther were high rates of sleep apnea among patients with silent stroke.4
Getting Help
Because many people with sleep apnea don’t know they have a problem it’s often someone who sleeps nearby who persuades them to see a doctor.
Once the condition is diagnosed there are several ways to treat it, including lifestyle changes like losing weight and surgery to remove some of the tissue that obstructs the throat.
The most common treatment is a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine – a device that forces air into the throat to keep the airway open. Unfortunately, though, many people simply can’t tolerate their CPAP machines. Being tethered to the machine by a hose makes it hard for them to get comfortable in bed and many simply can’t get used to the face mask and the straps they need to wear around their heads
A Good Night’s Sleep
Fortunately our office can offer you another, far more comfortable way to protect your health AND get a good night’s sleep. Called mandibular advancement devices, these retainer-like appliances move the lower jaw forward to keep the throat from closing.
There are a number of different styles of device, so my staff and I can choose one that’s right for you. And all are proven effective and FDA approved.
With these devices there’s no noise, no tubes or straps and no irritating air blowing into your nose or mouth. So they’re far easier to tolerate than CPAP. And according to PubMed.gov, a service of the National Institutes of Health, “Snoring is improved and often eliminated in almost all patients who use oral appliances. Obstructive sleep apnea improves in the majority of patients.”5
If you suspect you or someone you love has sleep apnea don’t wait. See your doctor right away. Then see us for a simple and comfortable way to breathe easier, sleep better and stay healthier.
- At The Wheel With Sleep Apnea!: www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=32422
- www.Boston.com/news/globe/health/articles/2005/11/1
- Ibid.
- Silent Stroke and Sleep Apnea: http://blogs.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/2012/03/silent-stroke-and-sleep-apnea.html
- Oral appliances for the treatment of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7481421