During snoring muscles relax in the back of the throat narrowing the airway to a smaller opening. As you breathe in your sleep, air is forced through this smaller opening causing vibrations known as snoring.

Although snoring may be harmless, it can be a sign of a more serious medical condition which progresses from Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (UARS) to Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).

We are genuinely concerned about your health. Successful treatment of obstructed sleep apnea can reduce the risk of heart attacks, high blood pressure, stroke and metabolic disorders.

DID YOU KNOW? Genetics and family tendencies play a large role in the presence of sleep disorders.

DID YOU KNOW? Untreated Obstructive Sleep Apnea sufferers may have negative effects on driving alertness and concentration levels.

DID YOU KNOW? Other sleep disorders may predict tendencies towards diseases like Parkinson’s.

DID YOU KNOW? Successful treatment of apnea could eliminate or reduce the need of medications.

DID YOU KNOW? A Person living with a snoring partner often exhibits similar symptoms as an untreated apnea patient.

Visit our website to learn more about the health consequences of untreated sleep apnea! We can help you love sleeping with your bed partner again.

• Does your bed partner complain about your snoring?
• Is your bed partner tired and irritable during the day?
• Does your bed partner show signs of depression?

A recent study by Sleep and Breathing, focused on the bed partners of snorers.  The study found that when a snorer was treated, the bed partners depression scores improved.

This was one of the first studies to include a snoring and/or sleep apnea sufferers bed partner.

At Dental Sleep and TMD Center of Illlinois, we truly belive treating your sleep apnea and snoring can help improve your relationships!

Tooth grinding at night, also known as Bruxism, is a very common sleep problem that affects up to 75% of adults at some point in their lives.  Fortunately, dentists regularly notice the signs of tooth wear and will prescribe their patients a nighttime mouth guard to effectively cover and protect your teeth and keep your teeth healthy for life.

While nighttime mouth guards are effective in protecting your teeth, they do no treat sleep apnea or snoring.  In fact, mouth guards can actually amplify your sleep apnea. Recent studies have found tooth grinding rarely occurs by itself. In fact, sleep apnea was found to have the greatest association with those who grind their teeth at night.[1]

How do you know if you have sleep apnea?  If you suffer from any of the following symptoms, you may have untreated sleep apnea.

• Waking up after a full nights sleep unrefreshed, feeling tired
• Dry mouth, sore throat and/or gastric reflux
• Morning or evening headaches
• Loud snoring
• Waking up at night to urinate
• Sweating while sleeping
• Weight Gain
• Short term memory problems
• High blood pressure
• Mood swings and relationship problems

Treating sleep apnea will make a tremendous improvement in the quality of your life.  There are several options available to people that grind their teeth and have sleep apnea. A CPAP or Oral Appliance Therapy are both effective treatment options. Consult with your physician to start treating your sleep apnea and make a difference in your life.

Feeling Tired?

Ask us about our Home Screening Night Test. 

Mary Ellen Hughes trying out the ARES at Home Sleep Screening Device, making sure the fit and feel will be comfortable for our patients.

 Determine how likely your snoring may be related to your overall health.

It is common for sleep apnea to go undiagnosed by physicians. Sleep apnea is difficult to detect during a routine office visit. Take a moment to answer the following questions

Snore – Do you snore?
Tired – Do you feel tired, fatigued or sleepy during the daytime?
Observed – Has your bed partner observed you stop breathing during your sleep?
Pressure – Do you have or are you being treated for high blood pressure?

Did you answer yes to any questions? Discuss the possibility of sleep apnea with your physician and let him/her know your concerns.

by MORGAN CHESKY / KVUE News Follow: @MorganC_KVUE kvue.com Posted on November 11, 2011 at 10:00 PM Updated Friday, Nov 11 at 10:42 PM On the road every minute of every day, they are the traveling tons of steel and rubber that are difficult to miss. Only on May 7, 2010, Wanda and John Lindsay never saw the oncoming truck…..Continue