How A Custom-Fit Mouthguard Can Help You Sleep Better

A poor night’s sleep may lead to a bad day. Grogginess, sleepiness, and sluggishness can ruin your performance at work or school, and lack of sleep may even leave you feeling irritable or emotional. While many things can negatively affect your sleep, such as an uncomfortable bed or a noisy bedroom, snoring is one of the main causes of poor sleep.

Snoring is a significant issue, one that affects a large segment of the population. In fact, about half of all people snore, according to the American Sleep Association. Many people do not realize that they snore, though, and only learn about it from a bedmate.

Several factors can contribute to your snoring. Allergies, a cold, or the consumption of alcohol can cause snoring, for example, as can the anatomy of your mouth and sinuses.

About Snoring

Muscles hold your upper airway open. When you are sleeping, though, these muscles relax to allow the airway to collapse partially. The change in the shape of your airway causes turbulence in the air you breathe. This turbulence causes vibration in the soft tissues at the back of your throat, which causes the snoring sound.

Snoring is often associated with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a sleep disorder that causes pauses in breathing. While not everyone who snores has OSA, research shows that anywhere from 20 to 70 percent of people who snore have OSA.

If you have sleep apnea, your breathing stops and restarts several times each night. In fact, your breathing may pause for longer than 10 seconds at least five times an hour. When your breathing stops, your lungs do not take in oxygen, which can cause a drop in the amount of oxygen in your blood. Your brain senses the lower blood-oxygen level and wakes you up. You may wake up with a loud gasp or snort.

Waking up five or more times each hour prevents you from getting the sleep you need. A custom-fit mouthguard can help.

A Custom-fit Mouthguard for a Better Night’s Sleep

A mouthguard helps reduce snoring by bringing your tongue and lower jaw forward, which widens the back of your airway to reduce the turbulence that causes snoring. Some mouthguards include a strap that goes around your head and chin, holding the mouthguard in place.

Comfort is the most important factor in choosing a mouthguard for snoring – if your mouthguard is uncomfortable, you won’t sleep well. While you can buy a mouthguard at a pharmacy or big box store, a one-size-fits-all mouthguard may not fit you properly and will probably be uncomfortable. Your dentist can create a custom-fit mouthguard that holds your tongue and lower jaw in the proper place comfortably and securely, so you can get a good night’s sleep.

For more information on how a custom-fit mouthguard can reduce snoring, consult with the dental professionals at Westlake Dental Associates. Our team of dentists has the training and expertise to create a custom-fit mouthguard that helps you sleep better.

You can book your appointment by emailing us at westlakedentalassociates@gmail.com

Call us at (440) 835-8999, or visit our website: westlakedentalassociates.com