While preparing for a presentation on snoring, I came across some interesting facts. According to the National Association of Home Builders,
• it is estimated that by 2015, 60% of upscale home constructions will include increasingly requested “two –master bedrooms”! These extra rooms can be used for visiting in-laws, returning children and friends, and — in growing numbers — snoring spouses.

In my practice, I have found that it’s not unreasonable to estimate 30 % of our patients, before treatment, are sleeping in separate rooms.

Lack of sleep isn’t just an inconvenience for merely a few people.
Recent polls by the National Sleep Foundation found:
• 67% of people who were married or living with someone reported their partner snored.
• People who had a partner with any type of sleep problem such as sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome and insomnia were more likely to say they had sleep-related problems themselves, including greater trouble falling asleep, more-frequent daytime sleepiness and fewer nights of satisfactory sleep.

These problems can lead to serious trouble. 13% of fatal car accidents are tied to drivers who drift off behind the wheel, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration . In the workplace, about $13 billion and 30 million workdays are lost each year because of sleep-related accidents on the job.

Does Your Snoring Make Your Bed Partner or Family Sick?
Sleep interruption caused by a spouse is “probably often the most common unresolved difficulty” in a marriage, Paul Rosenblatt, a professor at the University of Minnesota and author of the book, Two in a Bed: The Social System of Couple Bed Sharing. Snoring is not only affecting your sleep, but your bed partner and possibly you entire household, too. In fact, every time your wife/husband has to wake you up to tell you to roll over and stop snoring, you’re interrupting their sleep. The consequences of sleep deprivation often lead to serious health problems, including hypertension, stroke, diabetes, an increased risk for heart attacks and heart disease, depression and weight gain.

It’s rewarding for us not only to help the individual seeking help to get a better night sleep, but to be able tio bring couples back together in the same room peacefully. Sometimes patients are so quiet after treatment, that there spouses have actually awoken them up to make sure they are still breathing! We especially love to hear those stories.
You can start tonight and get the sleep you need to improve the quality of your life.

Dr. Sosenko is a Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine and the founder of Dental Sleep Medicine of Illinois. She offers snoring and apnea patient’s relief through professional oral appliance device therapy. Visit www.TiredofSnoring.com or call her office, 630-369-5225, for more information.

Good sleep is crucial to a person’s over all well-being.  Poor sleep patterns result in sleep deprivation which in turn can result in daytime fatigue, poor mental clarity, decrease in job performance, relationship problems as well as significant chronic medical conditions.

    The most common causes of sleep deprivation are:

• Not allowing enough time for sleep
• Excessive stress
• Irregular work hours
• Sleep disorders
• Pain from medical illnesses
• Repeated awakening from noises

      Regarding the first 3, you may need to question your current work and lifestyle patterns and choices that may be causing these situations.  I have found dramatic improvements in a person’s sleep, demeanor and attitude in individuals who chose to change their jobs or proactively alleviate other causes of stress. 

   If sleep disorders are suspected such as snoring, apnea, restless leg syndrome and more, careful evaluation and diagnosis is necessary in order to determine which of the many treatments are best for you. You may discuss your sleep problems with your physician or other sleep trained health care providers knowledgeable in sleep disorders. Very often a sleep test will be recommended to uncover the main source of your poor sleep.    

       Once a diagnosis has been made and proper treatment attained, a person often reestablishes good sleep patterns.  Once this occurs, the quality of health and well being often results in a better overall mood, and decrease in symptoms such as drowsy driving, improved daytime focusing capabilities, better relationships, and improved health as associated medical complications.

 For more information on sleep visit National Sleep Foundations’ website: http://www.sleepfoundation.org/.

  Dr. Sosenko is a Diplomate of the D.ABDSM and the founder of Dental Sleep Medicine of Illinois. She offers snoring and apnea patient’s relief through professional oral device therapy for patients throughout the Chicagoland area, including Naperville, Lisle, Wheaton, Downers Grove, Glen Ellyn, Aurora, Bolingbrook, Plainfield, and more. 

 Visit www.TiredOfSnoring.com. For more information.

Just the other day, our own sleep coordinator and oral appliance user, Mary Ellen Hughes, was waiting at a red light at the corner of Washington St. and Ogden Ave. in Naperville.  The light turned green and the cars in the right lane continued to wait . . . and wait. . .   Until someone started beeping their horn.  Cars began to pull around a sedan.  As Mary Ellen pulled around she saw the lady inside jerk her head up, look around and begin to cry.  What happened?  We think the driver fell asleep at the wheel while waiting at the red light.  Has this ever happened to you or someone you know? 

Be aware of the signs and symptoms of Drowsy Driving!  The following 7 signs were found on the National Sleep Foundations website. 

1.      Difficulty focusing, frequent blinking, or heavy eyelids

2.      Daydreaming; wandering/disconnected thoughts

3.      Trouble remembering the last few miles driven; missing exits or traffic signs

4.      Yawning repeatedly or rubbing your eyes

5.      Trouble keeping your head up

6.      Drifting from your lane, tailgating, or hitting a shoulder rumble strip

7.      Feeling restless and irritable

According to the National Sleep Foundation’s Sleep in America poll, 60% of Americans have driven while feeling sleepy and 37% admit to actually having fallen asleep at the wheel in the past year!!!

Visit the National Sleep Foundations Website for More information: http://www.sleepfoundation.org/