About Snoring
We all know the old jokes about 'sawing logs', and occasional snoring may make for a good laugh. It may simply be caused by sleep position, a cold, or even overindulgence. However, for many people, chronic snoring becomes no laughing matter.
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When snoring disrupts your sleep night after night and even leads to daytime drowsiness, it can be a sign of a sleep disorder which may have serious health consequences. For example, snoring may be a sign of sleep apnea, which is when you stop breathing many times through the night followed by a snoring, gasping or choking sound. Sleep apnea is very hard on your body because of the lack of oxygen and because of the resulting stress response.
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Chronic snoring is stressful, not only for you but for others in your household. Long term disrupted sleep can lead to high blood pressure, diabetes, depression and weight gain. Because chronic snoring may be a sign of a serious sleep disorder, it is important for you to seek treatment. The good news is that with the right treatment, you can stop snoring and finally sleep well.
How we can help
At Garrett County Sleep Center, we want you to know there are effective treatments for chronic snoring once you understand the root cause. Our team will develop a thorough diagnostic process to pinpoint the underlying cause of your snoring. This may include imaging studies and/or sleep studies.
Imaging studies such as an x-ray or MRI may be indicated to evaluate airway structure issues impacting your nighttime breathing. In other cases, we may recommend an overnight sleep study to determine the root cause of your snoring. Many sleep disorders, including sleep apnea, can be detected via sleep testing.
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Once diagnosed, we will establish your treatment plan. For example snoring caused by anatomical issues can often be addressed by the FDA approved SomnoGuard device which is fitted in our office in less than an hour. This mouthpiece keeps your airway open at night. Snoring due to sleep apnea can be effectively treated with a CPAP machine to aid night time breathing. You can get a peaceful night's sleep without snoring, so contact us now to schedule your visit.
