Insufficient quality and quantity of sleep can have a significant impact on your mental and physical health, and snoring is one of the most common causes of poor sleep. If you or a loved one are one of the 40% of adults who snore, there’s no need to suffer in (not exactly) silence – Snoring Laser Care can help!
What causes snoring?
For some people, snoring can be part of their normal lives – occurring at particular time of night, or periodically after a heavy meal. However, when it happens every night or in an extreme form, this is usually a sign of an underlying medical problem and action is recommended in order to prevent this developing into obstructive sleep apnoea.
Snoring is caused by the vibration of the body’s respiratory structures – the resulting sound is due to obstructed air movement caused during breathing while sleeping. When one person snores, it affects the whole family, and as many as 1 in 3 Australians suffer from Sleep Disorder Breathing (SDB). However, estimates suggest that only 20% have actually been diagnosed with an SDB condition, and so the number of people seeking help is believed to be very low compared to those actually affected.
What are the effects of snoring?
Aside from impacting on the quality and quantity of sleep you receive, snoring can have a negative effect on your health and wellbeing in the long term. Possible problems can include:
• Mood swings
• Relationship problems
• Headaches
• Hypertension
• Diabetes mellitus
• Increased risk of strokes and heart disease
Research finds that up to 40% of the adult population suffers from it, with a fifth of those suffering from a more serious (and potentially life threatening) condition known as sleep apnoea.
What does Snoring Laser Care involve?
Snoring can be cured! Your DentalCareXtra dentist will undertake a comprehensive examination to determine whether laser treatment could help you.
We’ll spend time discussing the procedure and its benefits so that you are fully informed before deciding whether to go ahead. If you do opt for the laser care treatment programme, three laser treatments will be given, three weeks apart. Laser treatment works on the soft tissues at the back of the throat, raising the temperature to 45°C and stimulating the production of collagen. This causes the tissues to tighten up, thus effectively widening the airway and making breathing easier. No anaesthetic is required and because there are no side effects afterwards, you can go straight back to work if needed.
For much more information on snoring, check out Dr Hany talking about this common problem, and what can be done to prevent it.
The friendly, professional team at Snoring Laser Care are always happy to answer any questions you may have, and discuss treatment options tailored exactly to your needs.