Do you get prodded and poked throughout the night by an annoyed spouse? “Roll over. You’re snoring again.” Situations like these can be very frustrating because you have no way to control whether or not you snore. Thankfully, your Erlanger dentist, Dr. Darlene Henry, can help. She discusses snoring, its causes, and how you can stop by answering your most frequently asked questions about snoring.

What Causes Snoring?

Snoring is caused by the vibration of the soft tissues in the throat. During the night, the throat’s soft tissues relax, and when you breathe, they can begin to vibrate if they are in the path of the air. Thus rolling a snorer onto his or her side or stomach often stops the snoring because gravity no longer pulls the tissues down into the airway.

Can Snoring Be a Symptom of Something Worse?

If you wake up feeling tired despite getting a full night’s sleep, your snoring could be a symptom of obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA. Remember the soft tissues of the throat that vibrate and cause snoring? Well, OSA occurs when those tissues impede the flow of air and cause the brain to become deprived of oxygen. When the brain loses oxygen, it wakes the body. For people with OSA, this cycle can happen multiple times throughout the night, preventing them from achieving deep sleep?

How Is OSA Treated?

Your Erlanger dentist, Dr. Henry, treats OSA with a sleep guard that will help you stop snoring and let your achieve deeper sleep. The sleep guard repositions the jaw and tongue to keep the airway clear during the night.

Schedule an Appointment with Your Erlanger Dentist

Does your spouse rouse you during the night because of your snoring? Are you waking up feeling as though you never got to sleep? Your Erlanger dentist, Dr. Henry, can help you stop snoring and get quality rest. Schedule an appointment with your Erlanger dentist by calling our 41018 dentist office at 859-344-8500. We serve patients from Erlanger, Cincinnati, Crestview Hills, Fort Mitchell, Florence, Union, Independence, and Taylor Mill.