Snoring and Sleep Apnoea Treatment
There’s almost nothing more frustrating than being kept awake by someone else’s snoring, especially if you experience it from your partner on a nightly basis. Unfortunately, snoring can have far more severe consequences than the irritation of an interrupted night’s sleep. Sleep apnoea can also directly affect the snorer’s health and wellbeing by preventing them from having quality and REM sleep.
McMahons Point Dental offer dental treatments and solutions for Obstructive Sleep Apnoea and snoring to North Sydney locals.
What is Sleep Apnoea?
Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) is a common disorder, affecting approximately 30% of the population that causes either a complete or partial blockage of your airway. These pauses in breathing can last from a few seconds to a number of minutes and may occur more than 30 times in a night. This disrupts your sleep, moving you out of deep sleep and into lighter sleep throughout the night, often leaving you feeling tired and unrefreshed the next day.
Symptom of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA)
Some side effects and health consequences of OSA include:
- Excessive sleepiness, fatigue, irritability and difficulty concentrating during the day
- Depression and anxiety
- Headaches or migraines
- Neck and back pain
- Reflux
- Jaw pain, noises or difficulty opening your mouth widely
- Clenching or grinding teeth, often with associated worn teeth
- Frequently having to go to the toilet at night
- In addition to the above symptoms, children exhibit hyperactivity and bedwetting.
There have even been cases where OSA has been implicated in traffic accidents causing death.
How Can OSA Be Treated?
There are many ways to treat OSA, including using a CPAP (continuous positive airflow pressure) mask. Many people find CPAP masks uncomfortable to wear, so if their OSA is not too severe, they can opt for a Mandibular Advancement Splint instead. This brings the jaw forward so that the tissues in the airway don’t collapse in on themselves and prevent breathing. Dr Edwina has completed her residency in sleep apnoea treatment and has extensive experience in helping to diagnose and treat OSA.
Other treatments include lifestyle changes like weight loss, quitting smoking and drinking less alcohol.
Is snoring interrupting your life, as well as your partner’s? Call McMahons Point Dental professional family dentists in North Sydney, on (02) 9460 1661 or book an appointment online.