Sleep Apnea & Snoring

Normal snoring occurs when you relax during sleep, which causes your lower jaw and tongue to drop back against the throat. This forces the airway to narrow and constrict, which lowers the amount of oxygen your body can take in. Your body reacts to this by increasing your respiration, or breathing. This increased velocity of air causes the soft tissues at the back of the throat to vibrate, creating the snoring noise.

While Snoring is a common sleep occurrence and to most of us a harmless nuisance, heavy snoring is often a symptom of a serious medical condition called Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Clinical studies have shown a link between high blood pressure, stroke, Type 2 diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).  OSA is a common condition in which the upper airway repeatedly collapses during sleep, causing a decreased airflow that stresses the heart and the body during the night.  If untreated, this condition has been associated with development of various heart disorders including stroke, high blood pressure and abnormal heart rhythms.  For those with Type 2 diabetes, if untreated this condition may worsen glucose control and insulin resistance, and lead to blood sugar imbalance.

ARE YOU AT RISK FOR OSA?

• Do you snore?
• Do you keep your loved one awake at night? 
• Do you feel like taking a nap in the afternoon? 
• Do you fall asleep while watching TV with your family at night? 
• Are you tired when you wake up in the morning?
• Do you wake up often in the night?
• Do you ever stop breathing during sleep? 
• Do you have a history of high blood pressure

If you answered yes to two or more of these questions, talk to Dr. Raffi Barsam.

Snore Guards:

Those individuals who choose not to have surgical correction are great candidates for a special dental appliance that keeps the airway open while sleeping. Dental Sleep Apnea Appliances have a compliance rate higher than surgery.

The snore guard device moves the lower jaw into a forward position by means of special connectors that are attached to transparent flexible upper and lower forms that fit over the teeth. These forms are custom laminated with heat and pressure to Dr. Barsam's model of your mouth. The fit is excellent and comfortable. This forward position of the lower jaw increases the volumetric capacity of the airway thus preventing soft tissue vibrations,and eliminating snoring. This increase in capacity can also help treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).