Snoring: A Not So Silent Epidemic

Have you ever been to a dinner party when the topic of snoring came up? I have and it’s amazing. It seems to me that at such occasions about half the couples at the party complain about their snoring spouse. Puzzling, the snorer’s frequent defence is “well, my snoring isn’t bothering me!”

The long suffering spouse will then explain how they cope with their snoring spouse:

I have heard: “I go to bed first and try to fall asleep. As long as I fall asleep first I’m okay. But if I’m not asleep by the time my snoring partner goes to bed I’m in for a rough night. As soon as the snorer’s head hit the pillow they fall asleep and then the noise begins. And then I can’t fall asleep".

I have heard many strategies that the non-snoring spouse adopts:

(i) Sleeping in a separate bed across the room and throwing socks at their spouse when the snoring awakes them

(ii) Ear plugs

And if all else fails…

(iii) Separate bedrooms

Now, I am a dentist, not a marital therapist, but I suspect that separate bedrooms do nothing to promote intimacy in a marriage or relationship.

So what is one to do about a snoring spouse? Here is a solution that works very well and is provided by your dentist. It is a snoring appliance; however some have referred to it as a marital aid as it allows couples that have been forced to sleep in separate rooms to again sleep together in peace.

There are many snoring appliances on the market but one appliance I have had very good success with is called the SUAD APPLIANCE.

I have personally provided this appliance to many of my own patients with excellent results. But I have also personally used the SUAD appliance to treat my own problem snoring. Here is the story.

About six or seven years ago my wife started to complain about my snoring. Of course, I went through the usual stages that I find people do go through when faced with the accusation that they snore: first, denial. Snore? Me? Impossible! That was something that my father did when I was growing up. But me?

The second step was trivialization. Although I knew my snoring bothered my wife I didn’t really realize how bothersome it was.

However, my wife, unlike other suffering spouses did not retreat to another bedroom to sleep. Instead, whenever my snoring awoke her she would wake me up and tell me “Jeff, you’re snoring. Don’t sleep on your back! Roll over onto your side.”

Sleeping on one’s side is known to reduce snoring and I would oblige by rolling onto my side. This would alleviate the snoring for a short time until I rolled back onto my back and the snoring would start again. Again this would awake my wife who would in turn wake me up again. This pattern repeated many, many times a night and for many nights until I was beginning to understand a simple concept most snorers are reluctant to accept. It is incredibly annoying to be awoken many times a night, whether by an elbow or a partners snoring. So, I decided I would have to do something to end my snoring so my wife and I could sleep in peace.

Ironically, here I was a dentist who had made many snoring appliances for my own patients who snored yet I resisted wearing one myself. I knew the appliance would cure my snoring problem but I was concerned that it could aggravate an old jaw injury that I sustained as a kid.

. First, a word about snoring: Snoring is most often caused by the fact that when snorers sleep, our tongue relaxes and falls to the back of our throat, closing off their airway either partially or completely. The noise that snorers produce is the sound of the air we breathe in or out passing through the narrowed airway. This airway closure is more likely to happen when snorers sleep on their back.

The snoring appliance is worn in the mouth and is actually quite comfortable. It is similar to an athletic mouth guard. It positions your lower jaw into a more forward position. The base of our tongue is attached to our lower jaw, so by bringing the lower jaw forward, the back of our tongue is brought forward. This opens the airway eliminating the snoring.

As a kid, I dislocated my jaw (sports injury) and it has clicked ever since. As well, many years ago it would have a tendency to lock and occasionally be sore. Luckily, my troublesome jaw healed and had not given me any trouble for over twenty years. So I really wanted to avoid wearing an appliance that changed my jaw posture while I slept, which in normal jaws is very safe.

So, to end my own problem snoring I thought I would first try a few folk remedies. The first was suggested to me by a dental receptionist I once worked with when I first graduated. She sewed a tennis ball into the back of her husband’s pyjama top. The tennis ball prevented him from sleeping on his back and thus, no snoring. So I tried this method. I sewed a tennis ball into the back of my pyjama top. And what happened? The experiment lasted one night. I had one of the worst night’s sleep of my entire life. I found out that I must have really liked sleeping on my back, for I remember waking up about five times an hour as I rolled onto my preferred position. In the morning I was exhausted, while my wife was joyful. She had a great night's sleep! I didn’t snore at all!

Well, needless to say I had to search for another solution. So, when I retired for the night I stacked pillows in front of me and behind me and I proceeded to try to fall asleep on my side. I figured the pillows would prevent me from rolling on to my back as they were wedged behind me. Well, it seemed like a good idea but it didn’t work. I was once again sleeping on my back, pillows strewn on the floor (I should have nailed them down), and snoring…according to my wife.

Well, it was time to try the dental snoring appliance (SUAD APPLIANCE) and to put it simply, it worked like a charm. It did not, to my relief, aggravate my old jaw injury and my wife and I could both sleep restfully.

I have been wearing my snoring appliance faithfully now for several years. I can personally attest to its durability. It has done its job night after night, has never needed a repair and has even survived a bout of chewing by my sixty pound golden retrieve-poodle mix. My dog had mistaken it for a chew toy.

And now a few final points.

1. A prediction: One day wearing a dental appliance for snoring will be as common as wearing eye glasses.

2. People who snore, especially loud snorersmay also have a condition known as obstructive sleep apnea.

If you have been diagnosed with mild to moderate sleep apnea a dental appliance can improve your symptoms and quality of life, but the first method of treatment for this condition that should be considered is a CPAP machine.

Obstructive Sleep apnea and snoring treatment is discussed on my website in detail.If you would like to read the article click on the following link:

http://www.beachdentistry.com/snoringapnea-appliance

Before you consider having a snoring appliance made please read the important information contained in that article.

CPAP is the first device you should try if you have been diagnosed with mild or moderate sleep apnea, as it has been found to be the most effective treatment for obstructive sleep apnea.

The SUAD appliance should provide many years of restful sleep for you and your partner.

Please do yourself and your partner a favour and take the first step towards a better night’s sleep: call our office for your consultation to end your snoring now!

Sincerely,

Dr. Jeff Shnall
tel: 416-691-2886 fax: 416-691-6847
e-mail: dr.shnall@gmail.com website: www.beachdentistry.com