Few things will make you more productive than getting a good night’s sleep. However, 70% of adults in the US stated that they don’t get enough sleep at least once a month; in a more alarming turn of events, 11% of them reported not being able to sleep a healthy amount every night.
Snoring may be one of the culprits behind this bleak reality, a symptom of severe sleeping conditions like obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). But, having this disorder is not the only reason that can make a person snore.
Here’s a list of some causes of snoring that may require you to visit a dental professional in Las Vegas for sleep apnea.
What is Sleep Apnea?
Obstructive sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that pauses your breathing for a few seconds. Not only does this condition affect the quality of your sleep, making you sleepy during the day, but it also deprives your body and brain of the necessary oxygen intake to function optimally.
Sleep apnea can have a series of severe consequences both in the short and long term, such as high blood pressure, arrhythmia, heart failure, and even strokes.
Are Snoring and Sleep Apnea the Same Thing?
People commonly mistake sleep apnea and snoring as synonyms, but they are far from it. Even though loud snoring can be a visible symptom of this disorder, some other symptoms accompany sleep apnea, the main one being pausing in one’s breath.
Compare the statistics: 42% of men and 31% of women in the US have reported snoring daily, whereas 30 million people across the country have sleep apnea.
This difference should not undermine the importance of getting checked by a dental professional if you have any suspicions of sleep apnea. When combined with other factors, such as choking or waking up with a dry mouth, snoring can indicate that you need to visit your dentist.
What Other Factors Can Make You Snore?
Excessive Weight
Although being overweight will not automatically cause you to snore, studies have shown that an increase in body mass correlates to snoring. When you gain weight, chances are that fat will store around the tongue and throat, causing obstructions that can make you snore.
Excessive weight also comes with decreased breathing capacity and lung obstruction, other situations that can have you snoring during the night.
Smoking
Experts have proven how detrimental smoking can be to your health countless times, and snoring is one of the negative consequences they usually mention.
Tobacco causes airways to swell and damage the alveoli in your lungs, stopping them from repairing. Decreased lung capacity and airway swelling are symptoms that can directly affect how you breathe at night and ultimately make you snore noisily.
Sleeping on Your Back
Sleeping on your back may be your go-to for being comfortable every night, but beware: this position narrows your airways and is often responsible for your lousy breathing and heavy snoring at night.
Sleeping on your side and using better pillows may be possible solutions, but if your snoring persists, it may be time to book an appointment with a dental professional.
Nasal Conditions
A blockage or deviation in your nose can bring a set of problems, including snoring, among other symptoms.
For instance, a deviated septum makes one of the air passages in your nose narrower, causing air to enter and leave the body unevenly. The septum can also block one of the airways altogether, lessening the amount of air intake and making you snore loudly.
When you get a cold, mucus can also block your nasal airways, forcing you to breathe through your nose and snore until you are completely healed.
Family History
If your parents snore, chances are you do too. Even though snoring is not genetic, some traits that can cause it are. For example, having a narrow throat or a small jaw can make your breathing more unstable and increase your chances of snoring.
Being born with a large tongue can also affect your snoring at night since breathing through your mouth can block the airway and decrease the amount of air going in, producing sounds in the process.
How easily you gain weight is genetic as well and being overweight is also a known reason for snoring.
Are You Looking to Treat Your Sleep Apnea in Las Vegas?
When combined with other factors, such as pauses in your breathing at night or a dry mouth in the morning, snoring can clearly signal sleep apnea and affect your short and long-term health. If you live in Las Vegas and are worried about possibly suffering from this condition, our team of professionals at Dee for Dentist is ready to free you from your concerns.
Please book an appointment and visit us whenever it’s convenient for you.
