With the end of the year approaching, and people getting busier, it’s easy to forget about maximizing medical insurance benefits. Knowing important factors of the medical insurance puzzle could save you hundreds of dollars, if not more, and might add years to your life!

Snoring is often a symptom of a serious medical condition.  Evaluating your snoring might save you from developing serious conditions including high blood pressure, stroke and heart attack as well as and  daytime sleepiness that can cause major accidents.

If you would  like to know more about the  medical insurance ‘pieces’, I urge you to visit Using Your Dental and Medical Insurance Benefits Before Year’s End (Part 1)

Dental Sleep and TMD Center of Illinois, a premiere snoring and apnea treatment center in Naperville, has been providing the CPAP alternative treatment of oral appliance therapy s for over 15 years successfully. We are extremely passionate in helping individuals that have been struggling with CPAP therapy in Naperville, Wheaton, Aurora, Bolingbrook and surrounding Chicago suburbs. For more information on this physician recommended treatment option, visit www.TiredOfSnoring.com or call us at (630)369-5508.

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Research shows that up to 40-50% patients do not tolerate their prescribed CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) therapy to treat the life altering condition of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Serious medical conditions may arise when OSA is not treated.

If you are not using your prescribed CPAP therapy, it may be time to consider CPAP alternative treatments. Most common recommended treatments might include professional oral appliance therapy, weight loss, positional therapy, or surgery.

Oral appliance therapy remains the 2^nd most recommended CPAP alternative therapy for most patients after weight loss and positional therapy have been considered, but not sufficient for the treatment of OSA. Oral appliance therapy consists of professionally made, custom mouth devices that keep your airway open with a ‘retainer’ type mouth device.  Some patients may call this a ‘sleep apnea mouth device’. It is highly recommended that individuals seeking this type of CPAP alternative treatment work with a dentist specifically trained in sleep disorders.

Not using your prescribed CPAP therapy might be just one reason to consider oral appliance therapy. But, there are other reasons that you may want to consider seeking the sleep apnea alternative treatment of oral appliance therapy.

Consider Professional Oral Appliance therapy if:

1.      You have tried CPAP therapy but still can’t wear it regularly, or for the entire night.
2.      You have been prescribed CPAP therapy but refuse to use it.
3.      You use CPAP therapy successfully, but you leave it behind during travel.
4.      You use CPAP therapy regularly, but don’t feel any positive effects from its use.
5.      You grind your teeth during sleep and find wearing CPAP together with a night guard just “too much”.
6.      You are able to use CPAP but your mouth repeatedly drops open and wearing a chins strap is “too much”.
7.      You are in a new relationship and would like something more portable than CPAP.
8.      You are traveling to destinations that electrical connections are questionable.
9.      Your diagnosis was too low to be considered OSA but have poor sleep quality, snore or excessively tired through out the day.
10. You snore and have no other known symptoms related to the snoring.

Dental Sleep and TMD Center of Illinois, a premiere snoring and apnea treatment center in Naperville, has been providing the CPAP alternative treatment of oral appliance therapy s for over 15 years successfully. We are extremely passionate in helping individuals that have been struggling with CPAP therapy in Naperville, Wheaton, Aurora, Bolingbrook and surrounding Chicago suburbs. For more information on this physician recommended treatment option, visit www.TiredOfSnoring.com or call us at (630)369-5508.

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We came across this poem about snoring and we wanted to share it with you. Some of you might be able to relate to this.

His Snoring

by Lesley Voth

Have you gone to bed tired
Needing the eight hours required.

Just dozing, falling into a beautiful sleep
Falling, floating into a nice place, so deep.

Then Oh no! not again,
Oh please Lord,
Not another night of his vibrating vocal cord.

You think it would help if I put plugs in my ears,
Nope, it doesn’t and one of my fears,

That the noise, that gurgle will not disappear.
It drives me crazy,
Next day I am tired, lethargic and lazy.

I wake up grouchy, tense and uptight,
He wakes up all fresh and bright.

“Why honey I had such a great night,
Slept like a baby, feel frisky and sprite”.

I look at him, with eyes like road maps
Frisky, yea right, I am about to snap.

But I know during the day I will take a nap,
So I don’t give him too much verbal crap.

With travel restrictions, increase in airport security and just a more hectic time of year, the last thing anyone needs is to complicate holiday travel with CPAP problems. Bringing your CPAP (an airway pressurized device that treats sleep apnea) is crucial for most apnea patients in maintaining one’s health and well being, and a good night’s sleep.

Below is a list of things to consider before you depart on your journey to help with CPAP travel:

1. Don’t forget to take an extension cord.
2. Empty the humidifier chamber.
3. Check power options on the plane if it is a long flight.
4. Check for power options at your destination if a remote area.
5. Will you need distilled water at your destination? And can the hotel help accommodate your request?
6. Do you have the correct converter or adapter plugs if needed?
7. Consider packing your CPAP as a carry-on.
8. Will you need to consider a battery option?
9. Do you need to bring any additional accessories or straps, such as a chin strap?

Dental Sleep and TMD Center of Illinois hope that this list helps you a with a successful CPAP travel experience.

If you are a successful CPAP user but tend to leave your prescribed treatment behind when traveling, consider professional oral appliance therapy, an effective CPAP alternative.  Oral appliance therapy is most often prescribed for mild to moderate apnea patients, as well as those not able to use CPAP therapy.  For more information on this physician recommended treatment options, visit www.TiredOfSnoring.com.