Does It Sound Like a Train Is Coming Through Your Bedroom?

By Tontra Lowe, DDS

Awesome Smiles Dental Center

. http://awesomesmilesva.com/

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Does It Sound Like a Train Is Coming Through Your Bedroom?

We all know friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, or someone with multiple medical conditions impacting their overall health and well-being. Since the mouth is part of the body, those same conditions may impact the condition of their ability to eat for proper nutrition, chew to aid in adequate digestion, and smile with confidence to ward off depression or anxiety. Sometimes, just breathing is hard for people. So outside of a mask and hoses to help your loved one stay alive through the night, you may want to consider an oral medical device instead to reduce the annoying and sometimes deadly noises.

It is estimated that roughly 50-70 million adults in the U.S. have a sleep disorder. Globally, over 100 million people suffer from some form of sleep apnea. Does this sound like anyone you know: they snore, have hypertension, congestive heart failure, or another form of heart disease? They complain of digestive issues such as frequent heartburn or reflux disease. What about frequent trips to the bathroom at night? Does someone you know always need a nap during the day because they are tired? This is called daytime tiredness; many people think extra coffee will cure them. They are wrong.

Do you know anyone with a history of stroke or unexplained loss of libido? Is anyone you know diabetic? Is anyone complaining about the weight they cannot lose and suffering from other ailments discussed? These could all be linked. What about unexplained lower jaw or neck pain that travels to your shoulders? Yes, even this could be secondary to sleep apnea because of the tension you put on your teeth and neck muscles when trying to restart breathing. You can help stop the train from coming to your bedroom.

Make sure to talk to your dentist if you have any sleep apnea signs. People die every day from suffocating in their sleep, and you do not want to be a statistic. Snoring is common but not normal and does not sound fun to your bed partner or anyone else. Know the signs so your dentist can help you or refer you to us so we can help you. These oral medical devices are usually covered by medical insurance to some degree, or you can pay as you would for anything else you want or need.  Breathing is living, and living is breathing. Don’t you and your bed partner deserve to rest well and sleep well without a train coming between you?