Why You Can’t Just Stop Snoring?

Snoring and sleep apnea are two common sleep disorders that can have a negative effect on your relationships. Here’s how:

If you snore at night your bed partner often ends up losing more sleep that you. This can lead to resentment (because the snorer is usually happily asleep) and separate bedrooms, which can put a damper on intimacy. For the snorer, it’s difficult to be in the position of the bad guy. They’re not snoring on purpose after all. The frustration on both sides, compounded by the impacts of sleep deprivation, can create a big rift in a relationship.

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that occurs when you stop breathing repeatedly during your sleep, sometimes hundreds of times each night. It’s usually caused by an obstructed airway; the soft tissues of your throat relax too much and stop the air from getting to your lungs. Sleep apnea is associated with a number of health problems, including high blood pressure and heart disease.

It also causes chronic fatigue because, even if you think you’ve had a good night’s sleep, you really haven’t. Your sleep apnea has secretly robbed you of many hours of restful sleep.
Sleep deprivation can have a huge impact on all your relationships. It can kill your sex drive, cause depression, and make it hard to react well to unpredicted changes.

Who’s To Blame For Interrupted Sleep?

You have a higher risk for obstructive sleep apnea if you are overweight, male, elated to someone who has sleep apnea, over the age of 65, Black, Hispanic, or Pacific Islander, or a smoker.

Other sleep apnea and soring causes are having a thick neck, a deviated septum, a receding chin, or enlarged tonsils or adenoids. Your airway may be blocked or narrowed during sleep simply because your throat muscles are more relaxed than normal. Allergies or other medical conditions that cause nasal congestion and blockage can also contribute to the problem.

The anatomy of your mouth might be the culprit of your snoring or sleep apnea. A low, thick soft palate can narrow your airway or an elongated uvula (the triangular piece of tissue hanging from your soft palate) can constrict your airway or cause noisy vibrations.

Better Sleep Puts Energy Back Into Your Love Life

Depending on the severity of your snoring or sleep apnea disorder, Dr. Nancy Nehawandian of Top Down Dental in San Jose/Lost Gatos offers a wide variety of snoring and sleep apnea solutions.

Want to know how to stop snoring? Some very simple snoring remedies:

  • Lose weight – Even losing as little as 10 pounds may help.
  • Change your sleeping position – Sleeping on your side instead of your back may help keep your airway open.
  • Avoid alcohol – Alcohol can over relax your throat muscles, causing you to snore.
  • Don’t let yourself become overtired – If you are exhausted when you fall into bed, you are more likely to snore because you’ll sleep so deep your throat muscles over relax, just like when you drink alcohol.
  • Unclog your nasal passages – If you have a stuffed nose, less air can get through your nasal passages, causing snoring. Try a hot shower, a saltwater nasal rinse in the shower, or a neti pot to un-stuff your nose.
  • Get new pillows – Dust mites in old pillows can cause your nasal passages to become blocked, leading to snoring.
  • Drink lots of fluids – Mucus in your nose and secretions in your soft palate can become sticky if you are dehydrated. Drink lots of water during the day and you may snore less at night.

If these snoring remedies don’t resolve the problem or if you need sleep apnea solutions, Dr. Nancy Nehawandian of Top Down Dental in Los Gatos, can help treat your sleep disorder with an oral appliance, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), Provent or surgery.

Stop Snoring and Take Back Your Night

Unbroken, restorative sleep has been shown to be one of the most important factors in maintaining good health and well-being. So has a being in a loving, long-term relationship. Don’t let you snoring or sleep apnea threaten your health and your relationship anymore. A visit to Top Down Dental in Los Gatos will put you in touch with Dr. Nancy Nehawandian. Certified in sleep apnea and snoring appliances she’ll get to the root of your snoring causes and find the right sleep apnea solution for you. Contact our office at (408) 354-5600 today to learn more.