Comprehensive snoring therapy requires the perfect interaction between the different specialized groups, because only then can the correct form of therapy for the patient be found.
Dear patients,
Dear patient, In this section we present you some information about snoring therapy. Our practice is a member of the German Society for Dental Sleep Medicine (DGZS) and certified for the production of intra-oral snoring therapy equipment. Thanks to many years of cooperation, a network between different sleep medicine professionals, internalists and ENT physicians has emerged, which has expanded beyond the city boundaries.
Comprehensive snoring therapy requires the perfect interaction between the different specialized groups, because only then can the correct form of therapy for the patient be found. As central partners we are delighted to serve you and recommend the specialists necessary for your therapy.
The first Appointment
For the first non-binding appointment, it is advisable to bring along any available X-rays or findings. Alternatively, we can request these directly from the appropriate physicians. It also makes sense to bring along your life partner to the initial appointment, since he or she can usually describe the symptoms more accurately. In the following section we offer a brief overview of the different forms of snoring and their therapy.
Your ADENTICS - Practice Team
What is Snoring?
Snoring as a noise phenomenon is extraordinarily frequent. It is estimated that 60-80% of men over 50 snore, and women snore as well. This can become more than an annoyance - sometimes the loud snoring of a partner makes it impossible to sleep.
One cause of snoring is a slackening of the upper airways at the top of the throat. The airways are kept open by musculature, but sometimes the muscle tension slackens during sleep. Snoring is produced when the walls of the airways (the base of the tongue and the soft palate) vibrate as one breathes in and out. In the long run, snoring can be understood as a preliminary stage of disturbed respiration.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
An increasing slackening of the respiratory system leads to a restriction or temporary suspension of the air flow when inhaling. This condition is known as apnea (Greek “still air”).
When this occurs, interruptions to breathing can be observed during sleep. The break in breathing is registered in the brain of the sleeper and overcome by a waking reaction (arousal). This arousal reaction is vital and protects the sleeper from suffocating. However, sleep is disturbed by the arousal reaction, since no transition from superficial sleep to a deep sleep stage takes place.
Reduced quality of sleep
The quality of sleep is disturbed for patients with obstructive sleep apnea. This affects the patient's mental state during the day. A patient with obstructive sleep apnea has an inclination to tiredness and falling asleep, particularly in monotonous situations (watching television, driving on the highway, as a passenger in a car, in the theater, etc.). In particularly severe cases, the patient cannot be prevented from falling asleep during the day (sleep obligation).
As a result of the reduction of sleep quality, severe mental problems can arise that change the patient's mental state, ranging from bad temper up to depression.
Symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea:
reduced efficiency
lack of concentration
headaches
attacks of dizziness
personality changes
sexual malfunctions (impotence)
night sweating
urge to urinate during the night (bedwetting in children)
hypertension
Approximately 60% of patients with obstructive sleep apnea also suffer high blood pressure problems. Initially their blood pressure is high only at night, but later also by day, that is, permanently. Obstructive sleep apnea can be regarded as a cause of unexplained hypertension.
Do you have problems with your sleep?
Please answer the following questions:
Liegt bei Ihnen eine schlafbezogene Erkrankung vor?
Do you snore?
Have breaks in breathing been noticed while you slept?
Do you feel that you have not had enough sleep?
Are you tired during the day?
Do you spontaneously fall asleep in boring or monotonous situations?
Do you spontaneously wake up at night?
Do you suffer from headaches?
Do you have hypertension?
If you answered “Yes” to more than three questions, you should consult with us or another specialist.
Further consequences of untreated obstructive sleep apnea include:
heart rhythm disturbances
increased risk of cardiac arrest
apoplexy
depression
etc.
Patients can avoid serious and subsequent illnesses by an early diagnosis of the illness, which is easy to treat.
Obstructive sleep apnea is estimated to affect 1-2% of the population (1-2 million patients in need of treatment in Germany).
Interrupted breathing at night is a frequent cause of increased forgetfulness, and of daily tiredness with an inclination to fall asleep spontaneously. This illness is called “obstructive sleep apnea syndrome”.
It is estimated that 800,000 to 2 million patients in Germany suffer from obstructive sleep apnea. There are a number of ideas for treatment that involve preventing the constriction of the throat, (which is a tube of muscle); however, only a few have turned out to be effective.