Trimac Dental Centre offers a variety of dental treatments perform by general dentists. The information below is formatted for your printer so you can have this information on hand.

Snoring
Snoring is a medical condition. It is an indication that you have a partial airway obstruction of the upper airway during sleep. Snoring is twice as common in males Loud snoring may be an indication of a potentially life threatening disorder called “Sleep Apnea”.

What causes Snoring?

• Mouth breathing
• Large tonsils / adenoids
• Excess fatty tissue in the neck
• Enlarged tongue and Uvula
• Receding chin (position or size)
• Sedatives - Alcohol, Sleeping pills
• Excessive Fatigue

What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a life-threatening sleep breathing disorder in which breathing can stop hundreds of times each night. Occasional apnea is not significant. A stop breathing greater than 10 seconds in duration which occur more than five times per hour of sleep are considered clinically significant. Significant apnea occurs in 35% of habitual snorers. The Greek word "apnea" literally means "without breath." There are three types of apnea: obstructive, central, and mixed; of the three, obstructive is the most common. Despite the difference in the root cause of each type, in all three, people with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times during the night and often for a minute or longer. Fragmented sleep and loss of deep sleep can also mimic some of the symptoms of Sleep Apnea. It may be Stress Induced / Depression / Anxiety. Not all sleepy persons have Apnea!

Cycles of Sleep Apnea
The hallmark of obstructive apnea is loud, intermittent snoring indicating a partial airway obstruction. Approximately 50% of adult males snore and about 10% of these have apnea. Most apnea patients snore but not all snorers have apnea. During obstructive apnea there is a period of snoring, which ceases when the airway totally obstructs. This period of silence can last from 10 seconds to as much as 2 minutes. Breathing resumes with an explosive gasp during which the sleeper awakens, although not always consciously, and resumes breathing, falls back to sleep, then the cycle repeats.

Daytime Symptoms of Sleep Apnea

• Excessive daytime drowsiness
• Inability to concentrate
• Changes in personality
• Weight gain
• Decrease sex drive
• Morning headaches

Night Time Symptoms of Sleep Apnea

• Snoring
• Restlessness in Bed
• Choking / Gagging
• Esophageal reflux (small vomit)
• Heavy Sweating
• Nocturnal enuresis (bedwetting)
• Patients will come to a half-seated position during episode

What can you do to Stop Snoring?

• Weight loss program
• Avoid sleeping on your back
• Abstain from alcohol consumption especially with several hours of bedtime
• Stop Smoking
• Limit sedatives and sleeping medications
• Have yourself checked for hypothyroidism
• Dental Appliance Therapy and/or Surgery

Continuous Positive Air Pressure - CPAP
Medical Device to Treat Sleep Apnea. This device delivers air continuously at a slightly increased pressure.

Dental Snoring Appliances
Dental snoring appliances position the lower jaw forward to open the airway. This also positions the tongue in a forward position so the air can then move freely in and out.

Website info for you…
http://www.cpapman.com/disorder.htm
http://www.sleepapnea.org/
http://www.lung.ca/sleepapnea/
http://familydoctor.org/handouts/212.html
http://www.pulmonologychannel.com/osa/