New Year resolution: Quit smoking now.

We already know that if you quit smoking it will significantly improve your overall health—especially your lungs. However, did you also know that by quitting smoking you might also significantly improve your sleep?  There is an array of factors that influence how well you sleep each night, and smoking plays a major part in that. Let’s take a closer look at smoking and how it can negatively affect your sleep.

What are the negative effects of smoking and sleep?

If you compare a smoker to a non-smoker, it has been shown that smokers are three times more likely to suffer from obstructive sleep apnea. Why? Because smoking causes an increase of inflammation and fluid retention in the upper airway, which can further aggravate sleep apnea symptoms.  

So, what is the end result? Both smoking and sleep apnea are deadly conditions that can severely shorten your lifespan when combined. Smoking and sleep apnea can both cause cardiovascular and respiratory health problems. Because of this, further importance is placed on the need to quit smoking while also seeking care for sleep apnea.

You can kick the habit and treat sleep apnea

You can further protect yourself and improve your health by kicking the habit now. Don’t hesitate or wait a day longer, the sooner you quit smoking, the better you will feel and look. In addition to quitting smoking, it is important to seek treatment for sleep apnea, too.

Smoking makes the swelling in your upper airway worse, which can further aggravate symptoms such as snoring and pauses in breathing (sleep apnea). In order to have successful treatment, you must quit smoking. By quitting your habit of smoking, you are significantly improving your treatment options and the results from treatment. While quitting smoking does not guarantee that your sleep apnea will disappear, it does ensure that treatment will be much more effective.

By visiting Craniofacial Pain & Dental Sleep Center of Georgia, we can help you eliminate your symptoms. While it is up to you to quit smoking, we can successfully treat your sleep apnea with oral appliance therapy.