Someone said a dentist can stop you from snoring. Is that right? If so, sign my husband up. I’ve not slept well in weeks.

Lisa L.

Dear Lisa,

Well, get him to the dentist. In many cases, snoring is caused by sleep apnea. This is when the muscles in the back of your throat relax into your breathing passage. If they only relax part way, he has mild sleep apnea and it often manifests with the vibrating, not so resonant tones of snoring.

However, this condition, if left untreated can get worse. The muscles can relax all the way into the breathing passage, leading to obstructive sleep apnea. Maybe you’ve heard your husband wake up suddenly with a snort and then go straight back to sleep. That could mean he’s stopped breathing momentarily and his body shocked him “awake” to get him breathing again. This can happen hundreds of times a night with a sleep apnea patient.

Even with a full night’s sleep, they wake up completely exhausted. There are other symptoms too, that you can read on our sleep apnea page.

Fortunately, the solution can be quite simple.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Ryan Perry.