Shortly after I got married, I became annoyed by my husband’s loud snoring. I would lay awake for hours every night wondering how he could sleep through the noise. After a few weeks I realized that he wasn’t just snoring. There was more to the story than just the intense noise. I would listen every night as his snoring would stop for several seconds, sometimes minutes at a time. After these moments of silence, he would suddenly take a deep breath, snore really loudly and usually roll over or turn his head. I finally realized during these moments of silence my husband wasn’t breathing. Sometimes, I could even hear him struggling to try and take a breath. Every morning he complained of being tired and feeling like he didn’t sleep very well. We tried going to bed earlier to get more sleep, but it didn’t seem to help. By mid-morning, he wanted to take a nap and every evening he would fall asleep when we were watching television. Several times, he even fell asleep while he was driving! After months of struggling with exhaustion, he had a sleep study and he was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea. The test showed he stopped breathing 80 times an hour, sometimes for 2 minutes at a time. He was literally suffocating in his sleep! Once he knew the problem, he was scared to go to sleep. He knew he could die in his sleep from lack of oxygen to his brain. This lead to insomnia and made him more tired. The doctor recommended that he use a CPAP to treat his sleep apnea. He tried to use the machine, but couldn’t stand to have the mask on his face because he is claustrophobic. He also didn’t want the hassle of dealing with the hoses and the water, not to mention the nightmare of trying to travel with a breathing machine. He would complain that the whole ordeal just made him feel old. I began to investigate if there was anything I could do to help. I was elated to discover that dentists can treat sleep disorders! I enrolled in special training and spent most of my free time for five months reading articles and textbooks and flying all over the country attending seminars to learn how to help patients with sleep disorders and snoring. I learned that people have died in their sleep when they suffer from sleep apnea and do not treat the condition. It also creates other problems during the day, such as high blood pressure and daytime drowsiness. After completing my training, I made my husband an oral sleep appliance. It looks like a retainer and he only wears it while he sleeps. He says it’s comfortable and easy to wear. After using the oral sleep appliance for two nights, he reported that he felt more rested when he woke up in the morning. After a week, he was no longer snoring and I was sleeping better too. After a month, he no longer stopped breathing in his sleep and he felt alive again! I am so glad I spent the time to be trained in treating sleep disorders. I love hearing from my patients who use an oral sleep appliance that they no longer fall asleep at work, they have the energy to play with their kids. They can stay awake when watching a movie with their spouse, no longer have to get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and many don’t have to take their blood pressure medication anymore. Most importantly they can sleep in the same bed with their spouse again, don’t have to use the CPAP and can just enjoy life again! If you snore or suffer with a sleep disorder, or know someone who does please don’t wait to call me. I’ve witnessed the devastation that these disorders can create. I understand your apprehension and the frustration of your situation. Call me now and make an appointment for a consultation. This appointment could save you or your loved one’s life.