Sleep Apnea and Snoring

Serving Austin, Round Rock and Georgetown, Texas

snoring relief in Austin, TX If you are a habitual snorer, you might have sleep apnea. Both snoring and sleep apnea involve a blocked or partially blocked airway. When soft tissue collapses back onto the airway, your breathing makes it vibrate and this causes the sound of snoring. Not everyone who snores has sleep apnea, but since sleep apnea is a health-threatening condition, it is worthwhile to learn more about it if you are a snorer.

The word apnea comes from a Greek word meaning “without breath”. If you have sleep apnea, you are repeatedly ceasing to breathe during the night, typically for ten to twenty seconds, perhaps more. The airway is narrowed down by collapsing soft tissue and perhaps blocked entirely.

After each apneic event (cessation of breathing), you wake up enough to gasp for air and then fall asleep again. There are many estimates for how often apneic events can occur, ranging from one per hour to 100 per hour, but most often it is 20 to 30 times per hour. The lack of oxygen flow causes a three to four percent loss of blood oxygen and specific neurological changes in the body, none of which are good for your health.

This description is of the most common type of sleep apnea, called Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). There is a less common kind called Central Sleep Apnea (CSA), where the brain fails to send the correct signal to the breathing muscles. This type does not typically involve snoring. A third type is a combination of these two.

Find out about the different Types of Sleep Apnea.

Sleep Apnea Symptoms

Habitual loud snoring is one of the most common symptoms. Your sleeping partner will hear it and no doubt notice the quiet pauses, the choking and gasping, and the resumption of snoring. However, most sleep apnea sufferers and their sleeping partners regard the situation as simply a snoring problem, not realizing it is sleep apnea, that it is dangerous, and that it can be treated.

Not surprisingly, another common symptom is fatigue from lack of sound sleep. You might be inattentive and drowsy and might doze off at quiet moments during the day. Other symptoms are:

Headaches
Memory problems
A dry throat in the mornings
Mood swings
Depression
Weight Gain

Sleep Apnea and Snoring Treatment

Dr. Holley is an LVI-trained neuromuscular dentist and is qualified to diagnose and treat sleep apnea. She can examine your mouth and throat and have a customized appliance made for you to wear at night. It will fit comfortably and will keep your airway open, by holding your jaw or tongue slightly forward. That will prevent any soft tissue from pressing against the airway, therefore effectively treating your snoring and sleep apnea.

For more information, please see Questions About Sleep Apnea. Visit these websites to find out more about sleep apnea.

http://www.somnomed.com/Home_USA.aspx
http://amisleep.com/

If you are in the Austin, Round Rock, or Georgetown area of Texas and would like treatment for your snoring or sleep apnea, please contact us today to schedule an initial consultation with Dr. Holley.

(512) 819-9100