Tag: Sleep Apnea | Blog | Ashford ENT Clinic

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Ashford Clinic Blog | Sleep Apnea

10 Reasons to Treat Snoring

Everyone loves a list! But this list will make you aware of some little-known health risks related to snoring… there’s more to it than not getting invited on that camping trip with your friends because you’re snoring drowns out the crickets.

Snoring & Sleep Apnea 101

We all know that restful sleep is very important. It is a key factor in quality of life, as well as your overall health. Oddly enough, something as common as snoring can keep you from getting the restful sleep you need. In fact, 45% of adults snore at least occasionally and 25% snore habitually. A heavy snorer should seek medical care when it starts to affect quality of life, as this can be an indicator of obstructed breathing and other serious health concerns.

The Link Between Snoring and Sinuses

Snoring is tied to other health problems, from cardiac issues to sleep apnea. But something that rarely gets mentioned about snoring is its connection to sinus issues. Snoring occurs when the free flow of air through the nose and throat is interrupted, and there are several things that can cause this interruption - from large tonsils and the shape of the head and neck to abnormally relaxed muscles and excessive weight.

What To Do if Your Spouse Snores

If your spouse snores at night, chances are that it causes some issues in your relationship. The importance of sleep cannot be overstated, and if your partner’s nightly log cutting is disrupting your sleep, it is natural for that to have an effect on your marriage.

Feeling Sleepy During the Day?

Everyone gets sleepy to some extent in the daytime. Whether long nights with kids, staying up too late to catch the end of a game, or an all-nighter for work or school, there are lots of things in our lives that can keep us from getting the sleep we need.

How Are You Sleeping?

It's common knowledge at this point that sleep is vitally important to our overall health, but so many of us deal with sleep issues and disorders night after night. Every year, some 40 million Americans suffer from chronic long-term sleep disorders and an additonal 20 million have occasional sleep issues...

What's the Difference Between Snoring & Sleep Apnea?

Snoring and Sleep Apnea often get mentioned in the same breath by many health care providers, but what’s the difference in the two? Are these two terms interchangeable? Is one worse than the other?

Can Balloon Sinuplasty Help My Snoring?

Yes, it can! We talk a lot about how Balloon Sinuplasty can help people who suffer from recurring acute sinus infections and chronic sinusitis, but this minimally invasive procedure can also make a huge difference for those who deal with snoring and sleep apnea.

Part 1: How we knew a Tonsillectomy was right for our 5-year-old

Hear from the parents of one of our pediatric patients about their decision to have their daughters tonsils and adenoids removed at Ashford Clinic.

Part 3: Surgery Day for our two daughters

On a chilly December day, Dr. Alex Ashford operated on both of our young daughters, and did a fantastic job. Read about our experience.

Part 4: Recovery from Surgery

Surgery on both of your young kids on the SAME day is not for the faint of heart. But having amazing care makes everything easier. Read more about our experience with recovering from ear tubes and tonsil and adenoid removal.

Do I Snore Too Much?

Snoring is incredibly common - 45% of adults snore occasionally and 25% snore habitually - so how do you know when snoring is more than just a nuissance and needs to be evaluated by a doctor?

3 Ways Snoring Effects Your Overall Health

Snoring is incredibly common - 45% of adults snore occasionally and 25% snore habitually - so what's the problem?

How Important Is Sleep?

It's easy to forget that sleep is a big deal. After all, it's something we do every day and everyone does it. With that said, there are millions of people who struggle to get enough sleep or the quality of sleep that they need.

When Does Snoring Become A Problem?

Most everyone snores to some extent at some point, so what's the big deal? While occasional light snoring is probably nothing to worry about, regular, heavy snoring can have serious implications for your overall health.

3 Reasons Sleep Matters

Sleep matters. Whether we like it or not, we all need sleep. However, sleep is vitally important to our health. Approximately 40 million people in the US suffer from chronic long-term sleep disorders, with an additional 20 million people having occasional sleep problems. Here are 3 resons that sleep matters for you and your health.

Better Breathing = Better Sleeping

Do you have trouble breathing when you’re trying to sleep? Do you snore or sometimes wake up choking? Did you know that breathing through your nose can help you sleep better? Are you one of the millions of people who can’t seem to fall asleep, or stay asleep? The problem could be breathing problems.

Why Am I So Tired?

I seem to be sleepy at times I’m supposed to be awake. Why?

Do you find yourself dozing off at work or school – or worse, behind the wheel at traffic lights? Is it especially difficult to get up and get going in the morning, but still hard to fall asleep at bedtime?

Quality of Sleep = Quality of Life

Do we overlook the connection between good sleep and quality of life? The quality of our sleep is a much more important factor in the quality of our waking lives than most people may realize. When we don’t get the sleep we need, we are less productive, less healthy, harder to get along with, and more prone to accidents.

Mouth Breathing vs Nose Breathing

There are many healthy reasons to breathe through your nose, and some serious consequences to mouth-breathing. "Mouth-breather!” is a term people might fling as an insult or say as a joke, but breathing through the mouth has some very real, and very serious health consequences.

Are my breathing habits hurting my health?

Look around at your fellow humans and you’re likely to observe that an impressive percentage of the population breathes incorrectly. Some of the most common features of inadequate breathing are taking shallow breaths; making audible sound while breathing, even at rest; and drawing breath with the muscles of the upper chest instead of using the diaphragm. Worst of all, and maybe the most common, is the habit of mouth breathing.

Aging and Sleep

Sleeping patterns change as we grow older – what’s going on? According to Harvard Medical School’s HealthySleep web site, the amount of sleep we need changes over a typical lifetime, decreasing as we age.

Sleep Disruption and Alzheimer’s

These days, an awful lot of us are getting pretty awful sleep. According to a survey conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, 35 percent of Americans rate the quality of their sleep as “poor” or “only fair.” A significant twenty percent of Americans say that they don’t wake up feeling refreshed.

Sleep Apnea and Snoring: What is the difference? What are the consequences?

You snore. All the time. Bummer. But does this noise mean something much more dangerous to your health than social ostracism? Read on to find out.

Snoring and its Treatment (or How Can I Sleep without Sounding Like a Freight Train!?!)

You snore. No, you really snore – like the-neighbor-down-the-block-complains snoring; like your-family-moved-to-the-next-county-to–get-a-good-night’s-sleep snoring. Even your dog won’t sleep in the same room with you. They are all mad because you wake up refreshed, when they lose sleep because YOU SOUND LIKE A TRUCK! What is a person to do?

Breathe through your nose – fall asleep faster

Are you one of the millions of people who can’t seem to fall asleep, or stay asleep? In our smart-phone age, it’s getting more difficult to wind down our overactive waking selves and get a healthy period of sleep. Here’s a simple technique for falling asleep that works for thousands.

How Are You Sleeping?

Other than a lumpy and uncomfortable mattress, pregnancy or feeling generally achy in the muscles, sleep should be easy to come by. You should be able to set up a comfortable sleep space that makes you feel warm, toasty and ready to sink into a deep sleep cycle that sees you through until the morning. You should be waking up rested and ready to take on the day, with your body feeling relaxed and muscles comfortable.

How to Stop Snoring

You're probably aware of the statistics on snoring, and the fact that's it's not good for your overall health and well-being. Knowing that information might motivate you do to something about your snoring or the snoring of a loved one, but knowing what to do to stop snoring isn't a clear cut answer.

Let's Talk About Sleep Apnea

Quality of sleep and your overall health are more deeply connected than many people realize, sleep disorders can have long-term effects that cause or contribute to serious health issues. Sleep Apnea is one of the most common sleep disorders - an estimated 22 million Americans suffer from Sleep Apnea and roughly 80% of moderate and severe cases go undiagnosed - so it's important to know what to look out for when it comes to Sleep Apnea and other sleep issues.

Snoring By The Numbers

We talk a lot about how common snoring is - around 48% of people snore at some point in their lives - so let's take a minute to talk about who is snoring and when you should seek medical attention for it.

The Truth about Daytime Drowsiness

Feeling sleepy during the day is incredibly common, and can have a long list of causes, like long nights with kids, staying up too late to catch the end of a game, or an all-nighter for work or school, and much more. If nodding off during the day is becoming an every day struggle, problems can occur and the consequences are far more dangerous than decreased productivity at work. Causes for regular daytime drowsiness can include snoring, sleep apnea, and other sleep disorders, which can result in medical illnesses including hypertension, heart attack, abnormal heart rhythm, diabetes, weight gain, and more.