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Whether you realize it or not, your snoring problem can be endangering your long term health. Sure, you might be keeping your partner up late at night with the monstrous sounds coming out of your nose. You might even go about your day in a perpetual state of sleepless fatigue. But these problems are very minor compared to the other negative effects of this common night time issue.

Snoring results from a blockage to your air path. While your body is sleeping, the soft tissue and muscles in your throat and mouth ease up. This causes your airway to contract. If it closes up enough, you will start to produce a vibrating sound while you breathe. In other words, you will snore.

Why is Snoring Dangerous?

Snoring leads to sleep deprivation. As a result, you are generally not as sharp as you could be if you had a more restful night of sleep. This can be extremely dangerous if you are operating heavy machinery – for example, your car. People who snore on a regular basis get into three times as many auto accidents as those who do not have this problem. Not only are you endangering yourself, but you are putting others at risk as well.

Your snoring problem can also be affecting those you care about most. Many non-snorers lose upwards of an hour of sleep a night due to the snoring issues of their partner.

But there are far more serious consequences to your snoring than just sleep deprivation. Snoring is frequently a symptom of sleep apnea, a disorder which can prove life threatening if it is not treated properly.

What is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is caused by interruptions in your sleep cycles which are brought about by stoppages in your breathing. When your nasal passages are blocked or when your airways contract (as with snoring), your breathing gets interrupted. As a result, your body must come out of a deep sleep cycle in order to start breathing again.

You probably don’t realize that this is happening, but it can occur hundreds of times a night.

Sleep apnea is caused by a blockage in your air passage due to a breakdown in soft tissue at the back of your tongue and throat. This prevents your brain and heart from receiving enough oxygen, which can result in an increase in both your blood pressure and heart rate. This leads to many side effects, but the most serious are an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

Symptoms and Health Issues

Sleep apnea produces many symptoms. You don’t necessarily need to have all of them, but you will most likely experience a combination of several of the following:

• Weight gain

• Fatigue

• Dry mouth

• Sore throat

• Difficulty breathing through your nose

• Headaches

• Snoring

• Insomnia

• Decreased sex drive

The main problems stemming from sleep apnea occur because you are suffering from sleep deprivation and a lack of oxygen in your body. Some of the health issues you may develop include:

• Heart attack

• Stroke

• High blood pressure

• Diabetes

• Obesity

• Short term memory loss

• Depression

• Sexual dysfunction

Fortunately, sleep apnea is easily corrected. Surprisingly, the person to speak to about this problem is your dentist. There are many devices that you can wear in your mouth at night to help you prevent sleep apnea.

If you are living in the Rochester and Oakland Township areas of Michigan and you suffer from sleep apnea or chronic snoring, please visit the website of Rochester Advanced Dentistry to set up an appointment with Dr. Doolin or Dr. Haddad today.