As if this warm weather wasn't enough! Throw in a night of snoring and you really are looking at a bad night's sleep.

Snoring is something many people in the UK have to suffer with - or rather, the snorer's partner has to suffer with! It doesn't just affect the person who shares a bed or a house with them, but it can actually be potentially harmful to the snorer themselves.

Snoring is mostly due to the partial closure of the airway while sleeping. Soft tissue in the upper throat vibrates as the neck muscles relax, resulting in that too familiar noise we dread as snoring.

People who overweight are more more likely to snore, as well as older people because the throat muscles become weaker with age. Another cause is drinking alcohol which also relaxes the neck and throat muscles. Or it can simply be the changing shape of an individual's airways. Whatever the cause, snoring can be more serious than you'd think. Diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and high cholesterol all occur more commonly in snorers, but sometimes the sleeping issues can be most detrimental.

Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) can be an issue causing daytime sleepiness. OSA reduces the oxygen level in the blood because the airway narrows so much that it closes. Sometimes the snorer is partially awakened without their knowledge when adrenalin is released into the body to counteract the OSA. This in turn causes sleep deprivation, the severity of which can result in the sufferer inadvertently falling asleep with little warning, which is potentially very dangerous. In the most severe cases of OSA, filtered humidified air is pumped into the nose through Continuous Positive Air Pressure (CPAP) to prevent the upper airway from collapsing.

All Smiles Dental Practice in Bromley may have the snoring solution for you.

We initially screen patients in order to eliminate the possibility that they could be suffering with severe OSA. Once this has been ruled out, we find that the most effective solution for simple snoring and mild/moderate OSA sufferers is a mandibular advancement splint (MAS). This device is designed to hold the lower jaw slightly forward which helps reduce the chance of the airway narrowing.

At All Smiles we use only the MAS with the most clinical data to support its efficacy is Sleepwell. Fully adjustable to ensure maximum comfort of the user, Sleepwell is only available from dentists who have received specific training in this area.

So if you are suffering at the hands of a snorer, or are a snorer yourself who is feeling sleep deprived, visit us at All Smiles Dental Practice and take the first step to solving your snoring problem.

Sleep well!