If you’re a snorer or your partner is a snorer, you may wonder how is either of you ever going to get a good night’s sleep. Snoring, especially very loud snoring is a disruptive factor in many households, but there is hope to break the annoying cycle of snoring. The key to stopping snoring is to figure out why you or your partner are snoring, as there are numerous reasons people snore, and many of those reasons are treatable with a proper diagnosis.
Just as sleep position, lifestyle, and eating & drinking habits are all related to snoring, so, too, is your body weight. Being overweight has been found to cause snoring, and snoring has been found to cause problems with weight. If you live in Des Moines or a nearby community and are fed up with poor sleep due to snoring, there is snoring treatment available. The most important thing to do is find a Des Moines snoring/sleep apnea dentist able to treat these conditions once they’re properly diagnosed.
Weight Gain and Snoring
According to the Mayo Clinic, weight gain is one of the biggest causes of snoring; most people who are overweight will snore. Many experts claim that snoring and being overweight are inextricably linked—snoring can cause you to be overweight, and being overweight can cause you to snore. It sounds like a lose-lose situation, but in Des Moines, Iowa, a highly trained and experienced sleep apnea dentist can help you reduce or eliminate snoring and get the good sleep you’ve dreamed about. Finding out what is causing the snoring is key to stopping the snoring.
Sleep Apnea and Snoring
While there are three types of sleep apnea, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is, by far, the most common. In obstructive sleep apnea, the soft tissue of the throat collapses, causing a blockage of your airway. During this blockage, you may choke and gasp for air. People who have sleep apnea may experience hundreds of breathing cessations a night, and these stoppages often last for ten seconds or longer. The constant breathing problems during the night often result in the following issues:
- Daytime fatigue
- Irritability
- Mood swings
- Depression
- Anxiety
- High blood pressure
- Type II Diabetes
- Cardiac issues
- Memory problems
- Difficulty concentrating
Sleep apnea is a very serious condition because it can wreak havoc on your overall health and wellbeing. If you suffer from sleep apnea in Des Moines, a sleep apnea dentist can help you once you’ve been diagnosed. To diagnose sleep apnea, you will likely participate in a sleep study, either in a medical office or at home. Since the dawn of COVID-19, many people have successfully completed sleep studies in the privacy and convenience of their own homes. Once you’ve got that sleep apnea diagnosis, you can begin to get treatment for your snoring and weight problem.
Body Weight and Snoring
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), obesity is defined as “a body mass index (BMI) value more than 30kg/m2.” The NIH also reports that obesity is the most significant risk factor for the development of sleep apnea: “70% of patients experiencing sleep apnea are obese, and 40% of obese people experience sleep apnea.” The NIH further states that 95% of people with obstructive sleep apnea are snorers. Those are statistics that cannot be ignored. If you are overweight, you probably snore. If you snore, you are probably overweight. Why not seek treatment for sleep apnea, snoring, and weight loss today?
Sleep Apnea/Snoring Treatment in Des Moines, Iowa
The statistics put forth by the National Institutes of Health make it clear that snoring, being overweight, and sleep apnea are all linked. Sleep apnea and snoring treatment take many forms. You may be fitted for oral appliance therapy (OAT), which is a highly reliable form of sleep apnea treatment that does not involve the bulky, uncomfortable CPAP machine.
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) has long been the go-to treatment for sleep apnea, but this Des Moines sleep apnea dentist has found other ways to treat snoring and sleep apnea in Iowa. OAT involves a custom designed for you to be worn at night to hold your jaw in a forward position to prevent your airway from collapsing and becoming blocked.
Please start weight/snoring treatment in Des Moines today by calling Dr. Douglas Pick at Iowa Sleep & TMJ at (515) 222-0505. You may also fill out the online contact form, and one of our snoring treatment team members will reach out shortly.
