Q & A - Sleep Apnea and Snoring Help

What is it and is There A Cure?

Snoring is almost a uniform finding in an individual with this syndrome. Snoring is the turbulent sound of air moving through the back of the mouth, nose, and throat. Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep. Each episode, called an apnea, lasts long enough so that one or more breaths are missed, and such episodes occur repeatedly throughout sleep. The standard definition of any apneic event includes a minimum 10 second interval between breaths, with either a neurological arousal, a blood oxygen desaturation of 3-4% or greater, or both arousal and desaturation. Symptoms may be present for years (or even decades) without identification, during which time the sufferer may become conditioned to daytime sleepiness and fatigue associated with significant levels of sleep disturbance. It is estimated that 20 million Americans are affected by sleep apnea. That is nearly 1 in 15 Americans; making sleep apnea as prevalent as asthma or diabetes. It is also estimated that 85-90 percent of individuals affected are undiagnosed and untreated.

One form of treatment that has been proven successful is wearing an acrylic appliance during sleep to keep air passages open. It's comfortable and easy to use.