Halesowen Dental

36 Haden Hill Road | Halesowen | B63 3NQ

Stop Snoring Week 19th April

This week is Stop Snoring Week!

Do you snore, or does anyone you live with snore? It’s a pretty annoying noise, I think we can all agree! A bad nights sleep due to interuptions can make life pretty miserable, and it can cause a number of health problems.

We all know how it feels to not have a good night’s sleep – we feel tired and sleepy all day, bad tempered, lacking concentration, and generally irritable. Bed partners who are disturbed every night by snoring they experience these symptoms every day.

How loud?

The noise level that starts to have an effect on sleep is around 40dB. The noise of snoring can range from about 50dB to 100+dB, and research has found that exposure to these noise levels can have a negative effect on your wellbeing.

Noise at night has become a major problem, and many people consider that a good night’s sleep is a basic human entitlement. It is so important, that the World Health Organisation (WHO) document several categories of adverse health and social effects from noise.

Lack of sleep can cause lots of health problems

Sleep disturbance, hearing impairment, daytime functioning, mental health problems, cognitive issues and negative social behaviour can be symptoms of being subjected to loud noise over a period of time. Sleep deprivation can also have a negative impact on body systems such as hormonal release, glucose regulation and cardiovascular function, leading to overall poor health.

Evidence has shown that the louder the noise, the worse the sleep. The quality of the noise is also an issue. Some noises can be subjectively annoying whilst others of the same level are not. It is well know that the noise of snoring is one that cannot be tolerated for long without disrupted sleep.

Some bed partners who sleep with their snorer every night try to sleep through the noise and ignore it. However, it’s been shown that although you may sleep through the night, the quality of sleep will be much reduced, so you will not feel as refreshed in the morning as you should. Noise tends to reduce our deep refreshing sleep to more shallow sleep, and will also reduce dreaming sleep. It is well documented that bed partners of snorers have been found to be at risk of hearing loss due to continuous noise exposure.

So how can these issues be resolved?

The snorer must acknowledge the problem and take steps to resolve it. Snoring will not go away – it will only get worse if not addressed.

For self-help remedies – see http://www.britishsnoring.co.uk for help and information.

If you cannot resolve the snoring by self-help remedies, you may need to seek professional help. As dentists, we can provide an anti snoring device that you wear in your mouth. Or there are other things we can try. Contact us today for more information.

Wishing you all some long and uninterrupted sleep this Stop Snoring Week!