{"id":59,"date":"2020-03-20T18:33:50","date_gmt":"2020-03-20T18:33:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sleepbetterbaytown.com\/blog\/?p=59"},"modified":"2026-04-02T19:19:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T19:19:54","slug":"trusted-sleep-dentist-in-baytown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bettersleepbaytown.com\/blog\/trusted-sleep-dentist-in-baytown\/","title":{"rendered":"If You Have Sleep Apnea, This Could Make It Worse"},"content":{"rendered":"For over 22 million Americans, not getting adequate rest has unfortunately become a way of life. That\u2019s because they suffer from sleep apnea<\/a>, the most common form of which is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Thankfully, a sleep dentist in Baytown can treat the condition. If you\u2019re one of the people dealing with this problem, but you\u2019re not ready to seek treatment, you can at least make some lifestyle changes to help yourself out. As you continue reading, you\u2019ll learn what habits and physical conditions could be contributing to your sleep breathing issues.\n\n\n

Weight Gain<\/h2>\nWith OSA, there is a partial or full blockage of the throat that restricts airflow while you sleep. The two main contributors to the problem are relaxed throat muscles during the sleep cycle and increased neck width from excessive weight gain. By committing to shedding a few pounds, you can possibly relieve some of the air restriction.\n

Excessive Consumption of Alcohol<\/h2>\nOverconsumption of alcohol (drinking more than 15 beverages per week) can also cause your throat and tongue muscles to relax while you sleep. Although the effects tend to dissipate as the night goes on, any period of time without adequate oxygen flow is too long.\n

Eating Before Getting in Bed<\/h2>\nWhen you consume food just before lying down for the night, you\u2019re leaving your body in a precarious situation. It wants to rest, but it still has the duty to digest the food you\u2019ve eaten.\n\nAs a basic rule of thumb, you should stop eating at least two hours before you retire to bed. Therefore, you won\u2019t have to worry about any bodily functions getting in the way.\n

Using Electronic Devices Before Bed<\/h2>\nThe bright lights from your smart phone or laptop can hinder your brain\u2019s natural production of melatonin, the nighttime hormone. This can make it harder for you to get the rest you need.\n\nTo help yourself out, discontinue the usage of all electronic devices at least 30 minutes before getting in bed. You should also consider adjusting your settings to dim your screen at night.\n

Smoking<\/h2>\nThere\u2019s just no way around it; smoking creates problems in several ways. For starters, cigarettes are direct irritants of the upper airway, the throat, the uvula, the soft palate and the tongue. Additionally, smoking can lead to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and can narrow the airway, both of which can exacerbate the typical symptoms of OSA.\n\nBy committing to making some lifestyle changes, it\u2019s possible to decrease the severity of your OSA symptoms, but the ultimate way of getting relief is to receive snoring treatment from a local dentist. By being proactive, you\u2019ll have a better chance of getting the sleep that you desperately need.\n\nAbout the Author<\/strong>\n\nAfter finishing dental school, Dr. Dean Hutto wasn\u2019t done learning. He would go on to receive postgraduate training from such notable professionals as Dr. Frank Spear and Dr. Pete Dawson. Additionally, Dr. Hutto maintains professional affiliation with the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine. He helps patients rest better by treating OSA at Sleep Better Baytown, and he can be reached for more information through his website<\/a>.","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For over 22 million Americans, not getting adequate rest has unfortunately become a way of life. That\u2019s because they suffer from sleep apnea, the most common form of which is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Thankfully, a sleep dentist in Baytown can treat the condition. If you\u2019re one of the people dealing with this problem, but you\u2019re not ready to seek treatment, you can at least make some lifestyle changes to help yourself out. As you […] (Read More)<\/a>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bettersleepbaytown.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bettersleepbaytown.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bettersleepbaytown.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bettersleepbaytown.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bettersleepbaytown.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.bettersleepbaytown.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":440,"href":"https:\/\/www.bettersleepbaytown.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59\/revisions\/440"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bettersleepbaytown.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bettersleepbaytown.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bettersleepbaytown.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}