Living with a snoreer can strain even the most dedicated relationships leading to dissenion and in some case, divorce. A recent study pointed out that 80% of snoring couples slept apart.

If you are kept awake night after night by a bed-partner's snoring, you are not getting the sleep you need.  Sleep deprivation can lead to irritability, muddled thinking, illness, poor performance at work, and drowsy driving.

Repeated deprivation of oxygen to the brain can cause high blood pressure which can damage the carotid arteries on each side of the neck.  These arteries carry oxygen to the brain.  The damage can lead to many health issues.  A report from the University of California School of Dentistry found that 21% of men who snore had hardened blockages in there carotid arteries.

WHAT TO DO ABOUT SNORING

Avoid sleeping on your back, sewing a tennis ball into the back of a T-shirt will help to prevent rolling over on your back.  Raise the head of the bed 4 inches.  Lose weight, if you need to.  Avoid drinking alcohol within 3 hours of bedtime.  Stop smoking.  Avoid medications that relax the muscles.  Don't eat a heavy meal within 3 hours of bedtime.  Ask your partner to wake you if you snore.  Exercise to improve your physical condition.  Try nasal strips or nasal dilators to keep the nostrils open. 

If the problem is really severe and/or if you stop breathing during sleep get checked by a sleep physician.  He or she may recommend a CPAP machine, surgery or an oral appliance. 

Ask us about oral appliances to help stop snoring and control sleep apnea.