Laura – Lead Dental Nurse at the Dental Spa

So the standard stereotype for those who snore is older overweight gents who drink and eat late at night. Well I don’t fit any of those stereotypes, although I do enjoy the odd glass of wine in the evening. I’m female in my early thirties, slim with healthy bmi and eat a good diet. I do however snore like a train! Or at least I did.

The past few years have been somewhat turbulent for my husband and I and I hate to admit it but I am to blame. I work hard, play harder and with two young kids to look after I’m usually asleep before my tired little head hits the pillow. I’d try and get a good eight hours sleep as mornings are not my strong point especially when hubby is up as early as 5:30 some days.

I suffered with headaches, neck pain and shoulder pain. I clenched and ground my both day and night and according to my husband I snored ‘all the night long’. For years I thought he was exaggerating and his nagging was due to his early starts, not the lack of sleep due to the night train lying next to him every night. To prove his point he used to take great pleasure in recording me and playing it back whenever he’d resorted to sleeping on the sofa or hopping in with one of the kids after failing to stir me from my noisy slumber.

Over the years I have spent a fortune on Chiropractors and physiotherapy sessions for my neck/shoulder pain not to mention the amount of pain killers consumed. I’ve chipped teeth and have ground them down so they are now incredibly sensitive – not ideal at my young age! My concentration/memory was getting worse (which I putdown to juggling so much with work/kids etc), was always tired and could literally fall asleep on a washing line. I made a terrible travelling companion often falling asleep within minutes of setting off. I have a history of depression and have taken medication for some years to combat the symptoms.

When the practice introduced a new sleep study device I thought this would be my opportunity to prove to my husband that my nocturnal activity was nowhere near as bad as he was making out so rather smugly volunteered to be a guinea pig.

The process was pretty straight forward. I went to sle

ep wearing a battery operated device attached around my waste, with a pulsoximeter attached to my finger (this measured my heart rate and oxygen saturation levels) and a nasal device to detect my breathing. The results were uploaded via computer the next day and the results downloaded and printed off.
A rather large slice of humble pie later I was very red faced and embarrassed to read that during the three hours I was asleep I snored 344 times! That’s 28 snores per minute! Which equals one very big apology to hubby.

The details in the study were fascinating. It detailed how long I was asleep, how many times I turned, how long I spent sleeping in each position as well as my snores, oxygen levels, and apnoea. I was shocked to see that during the three hours I was asleep, I stopped breathing for a total of thirteen minutes! No wonder I was exhausted all the time and my memory was failing me.
Adam (my dentist who arranged the study) advised me to go ahead and have the snoring appliance made. He took two simple impressions which were sent to the laboratory and within a week the appliance arrived. Having tried most devices over the years for grinding I didn’t find wearing it too traumatic. Don’t get me wrong it’s a mouthful – upper and lower hard plastic mouth guards which hold your lower jaw in a more pronounced position in order to clear your airway.

After a week of getting used to sleeping with the appliance I conducted a further sleep study. I already knew from my husband’s feedback that the device was some sort of miracle but was keen to get some scientific proof. Again the info from the device was uploaded and the results instant.

I am very delighted to say that I no longer snore (providing I’m wearing the device). That’s not the only change I’ve noticed – I feel like a new woman! I have so much energy (perhaps due to a good night’s sleep) and my memory and attention has improved no end. People at work have commented how ‘on the ball’ I am and home life is no longer a chore – yes I am actually enjoying the housework! My husband and I recently went away to celebrate our anniversary and I didn’t fall asleep on the way there or on the way back! The pains in my head/neck/shoulder have subsided and I no longer take pain killers on a daily basis and have reduced my medication for depression in half!

I urge anyone who has any of the symptoms relating to sleep apnoea to give it a go. The results for me have literally been life changing. If you have any questions about the process or the appliance please feel free to call me, Laura @ the Dental Spa on 01743 343433 or via email @ info@the-dentalspa.co.uk