Really Bad Snoring. Looking for experiences/suggestions?

[-Pjackso]

Hi guys,
Now for something really Off-Topic.


I've got a snoring problem.
As in - I can snore really Really REALLY loud. The wife doesn't sleep with me anymore for this reason.
The wife now sleeps in the bedroom in the opposite side of the house - and I can STILL wake her up sometimes.
The snoring doesn't bother me - I sleep fine. But the wife can't handle it.

For clarification - I've always had a snoring problem. But it's not related to being overweight.
In High-school/college days, I weighed 135-140 lbs. I'm middle aged and a little healthier now at 170~ish. But I've always snored equally. Sometimes it's worse - like when I'm sick, or allergies, or when I'm really exhausted from a long day.


I've visited the doctor about this and he just said "sometimes people just snore".
The doctor said he could send me to a sleep center for monitoring - but he said he thinks it's all snake-oil.

The little bit of internet research typically recommends the forced air mask that people wear during sleep. (The air-mask is not a option.) I've also read about different surgery procedures to 'fix'(?) the flapper valve in the throat. I'd be interested in the surgery options - since it's more of a long-term solution for the root problem.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_apnea


Anybody have any experience about this?
Good/bad/works/doesn't work?



I appreciate any input.
Thanks,
-Paul

 

[kroberts2131]

I pretty much sleep on the couch anymore cause my wife can't handle my snoring either. I've always been that way too. My dad is the same way. Must run in the family.

 

[bulbboy]

I went to a sleep study 5 years ago because my wife was sick of the snoring. Found out that I had severe sleep apnea. Got the darth vader mask and it helped quite a bit.

I was able to get rid of it last year when I lost 60lbs. But if it's not weight related you'll need to keep using it

Pain in the butt at first, but you get used to it and it does make you feel more rested during the day

 

[davek]

Get the sleep study. You'll probably wind up with a CPAP (Continuous Positive Air Pressure) machine.
You'll be amazed at the improvement in the quality of your sleep, you may not even realize how bad it is.
When I did the sleep study they tried a CPAP on me - when I woke up I realized the 2 hours on the CPAP were the best sleep I had in years. I was very disappointed I couldn't take it with me.
The snoring can also be causing stress on your cardiovascular system too.
CPAP has made a huge improvement in my life, well worth it.

 

[twoguns?]

Dr. Dave..i.e. Ratski on here has a newly developed device.
A mouthpiece of sorts ,he can explain it better.
You have tried the nose strips with the springs that hold your sinuses open?

 

[tbirch]

Do the sleep study. Well worth it and the CPAP, if needed, will help greatly.

 

[cichlid-dave]

Enough said as I have always snored as a skinny dude and now a fat dude. Get the sleep study done and get a mask called a cpap

 

[ratski]

I've visited the doctor about this and he just said "sometimes people just snore".
The doctor said he could send me to a sleep center for monitoring - but he said he thinks it's all snake-oil.

The little bit of internet research typically recommends the forced air mask that people wear during sleep. (The air-mask is not a option.) I've also read about different surgery procedures to 'fix'(?) the flapper valve in the throat. I'd be interested in the surgery options - since it's more of a long-term solution for the root problem.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_apnea


Anybody have any experience about this?
Good/bad/works/doesn't work?

l

Paul,

First and foremost, I will break a few cardinal rules here. My first rule is normally to NOT give medical or dental advice in a forum or over the internet. The second, is that I usually will not talk about what I do for a living or my qualifications. In this case, I will break those. I am a dentist. I have been in practice since 1982. I have been treating sleep apnea patients for the past year. I am one of two dentists that I know of between Oklahoma City and Dallas that have the training and the ability to use the treatments that I am going to describe.

Next, your doctor is a screaming idiot.

Third: NEVER even consider surgery as a first or second option. And I mean NEVER.


Yes, some people just snore for others it is a sign of a deeper problem. Sleep apnea.

I'll try in relatively simple and straightforward terms. I'm sure someone will jump in and say "well you forgot this or that". I'm not trying to give a technical lecture or presentation here.

I have been down the road. I had what is called FESS surgery about 10 years ago. It was supposed to help my snoring. It turned me from a snare drum into a bass drum. I breath better but I snore louder. My snoring level was at times over 80 decibels. That is about equivalent to standing next to a train crossing as the train goes by.

First and foremost, you need a sleep study. This can be at a sleep center or a home study.

At a sleep center, you will be out of your environment. You will be sleeping in another bed and going to bed at a set time with all sorts of wires hooked up to you. If you want to "walk the dog" during the night, you will get to push a little button so the technician who is monitoring you can come in and unhook you for your walk. Then, at about 6AM, they will wake you up and send you home.

For a home study (at least the kind that I use), you will go home with a monitor that straps on your wrist. You will attach two things to your fingers and one wire that tapes to your chest and neck. Then, when you are ready to go to sleep, you will push a button to start the test. You go to sleep. When you wake up, you take the leads off and put the monitor back in its box and bring it in to the office.

Both of these tests are looking for specific things. They monitor how loud you snore and how frequently. That is one of the obvious things. More importantly, they monitor how often and how much your oxygen level in your blood changes (drops). Most of us have a 99% to 100% saturation level of Oxygen in our blood. When we sleep, that can change. How much, how frequently, how prolonged the changes are relates to the problems. And that relates to how many times you stop breathing while you are asleep.

Your severity of sleep apnea will be graded on how often you stop breathing and how many times your blood oxygen desaturates.

Sometimes, what we call "sleep hygiene" can help. Positional aids like lifting up the head of the bed, etc. Sometimes a CPAP machine is needed to force airflow thru your airway. Sometimes a lower jaw positioning appliance can be used. I personally use both the lower jaw positioning appliance AND a CPAP machine. My sleep apnea was VERY severe. Using both of these, my wife can sleep in the same room with me. I DO NOT snore.

There are several of the lower jaw positioning appliances (Mandibular Advancement Device) out there. Most of them are fair at best. The ones the you see on TV are crap at best. There are only two of them that are FDA approved for the treatment of sleep apnea and one of them is the SomnoDent. This is the appliance that I use and that I fabricate when treating someone with sleep apnea. It is very comfortable and very effective. And, it is something that usually can be filed on your medical insurance.

Below is one of the screening questionnaires for sleep apnea and sleep disorders. Answer the questions honestly. Don't try to justify "well sometimes, but I was up late that night" or "well, yeah, I do that but I don't really want to admit it." Also, have your wife answer the same questions about you. If your score is 10 or higher, you might have a sleep problem.

Score the following questions with the appropriate number for each situation
0 No chance of dozing
1 Slight chance of dozing
2 Moderate chance of dozing
3 High chance of dozing

Sitting and Reading

Watching TV

Sitting inactive in a public place (i.e. a theater or a meeting)

As a passenger in a car for an hour without a break

Lying down to rest in the afternoon when circumstances permit

Sitting and talking to someone

Sitting quietly after a lunch without alcohol

In a car, while stopping for a few minutes in traffic

Total_____________


If you want a bit more information, I'll put in a shameless plug here. Got to www.lawtondentistry.com and look under "sleep apnea"

Sorry for the long-windedness of the reply. This is an area of treatment that I have become very passionate about. It is amazing how this affects so many people's lives and yet is only now getting attention. And it is amazing to me how effective relatively simple treatments can be. Even if you only have non pathologic snoring, treatment is available. BUT, NEVER and I mean NEVER, EVER consider surgery as a first option.

If you have any questions, shoot me an email.

Dave

 

[elcaBob]

It sounds drastic, but I just had my tonsils out last month. My wife says my snoring is 95% better.

 

[dieseltech09]

get a sleep study done and if you indeed have sleep apnea get it treated either with a CPAP or mouth piece. Sleep apnea will cause all sorts of problems if you dont address it.