Signs It's Time to Address Your Snoring Problem

You’ve woken up yourself – or someone else – with your snoring lately. But is snoring more than an embarrassing annoyance? Snoring might seem like no big deal, but in some cases it stems from sleep apnea, a chronic condition that shouldn’t be ignored.

At Rozenberg Dental NYC, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, board-certified cosmetic dentist Dr. Lana Rozenberg and her team offer NightLase® dual-wavelength laser treatment to gently reduce snoring and other sleep apnea symptoms.

Take a few minutes to learn more about snoring, including common causes and when to seek treatment.

What causes snoring

If you were to blow up a balloon without tying it and then let the air out slowly, pinching the opening between your thumb and finger along the way, you’d hear a buzz-like sound – one that’s pretty loud or quite soft, depending on the amount of air versus pressure involved. 

Similarly, snoring happens when your airway is restricted. Instead of flowing through your airways with ease, the air you breathe causes tissues to vibrate against each other, creating that rumbling noise. 

Factors that make way for snoring include excessive alcohol intake, sleep deprivation, sleeping on your back, anatomical issues, and medical conditions, such as sleep apnea.

When snoring is a sign of sleep apnea

Chronic snoring is often a sign of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This serious condition – which raises your risk for depression, diabetes, heart attack, and stroke – affects some 30 million people in the United States. OSA causes you to stop breathing repeatedly during sleep.

In addition to snoring in general, signs of sleep apnea may include:

• Choking or gasping amid sleep
• Difficulty concentrating
• Excessive daytime sleepiness
• Morning headaches
• Nighttime chest pain
• Periods of loud snoring, followed by periods of silence 
• Restless sleep
• Snoring that’s loud enough to wake a loved one
• Sore throat upon awakening

High blood pressure, smoking, and obesity also often coincide with sleep apnea.

What to do about chronic snoring 

If you’re regularly experiencing snoring along with one or more other potential signs of sleep apnea, it’s a good idea to get checked out. 

If you’re diagnosed with sleep apnea, your treatment options may include an airway pressure device, laser treatment, oral appliance, or surgery. 

Depending on the severity of your symptoms and your overall health, Dr. Rozenberg may recommend NightLase. This noninvasive treatment uses laser energy to improve your breathing by contracting collagen in your oral mucosa tissue. Each treatment takes about 30 minutes, after which you can go about your daily life as usual.

To learn more about problematic snoring or to get the care you need, call Rozenberg Dental NYC or book an appointment through our website today.