Sleep disturbances can affect lives:

Joan: A new lease on life

At first I thought I was just paranoid. My co-workers stopped inviting me to lunch and they would constantly excuse themselves if I entered a room or stepped into a conversation. It must be in my head – I thought – why would they be avoiding me?

Then I started to notice my friends were doing the same thing; making excuses to avoid seeing me. Finally, my best friend confirmed the reality. My crankiness and loss of temper were putting people off. This was more serious than I realized. I knew my lack of sleep was hindering my attitude and focus but I had no idea the repercussions it was having in my personal life.

Now, it’s like I have a new lease on life. Since treating my sleep issues, I now not only sleep soundly throughout the night but it’s like a new personality has emerged. I have patience and control of my emotions and I look forward to each day, instead of wondering how my sleep-deprived self is going to function. Better yet – my friends and family want to be around me again. I went from being a huge nuisance to being my old self – the life of the party.

Let us know about your sleep problems - fill out our 'Sleep Disorder Evaluation Form'

Gary: I never figured the cause was . . . dental

For years I never understood when someone would say “oh man – I slept like a baby!” What was that like – sleeping so soundly and thoroughly that you woke up completely refreshed and totally invigorated, ready to take command of the day ahead.

I honestly couldn’t remember the last time I didn’t start off the day thinking ‘how many more hours until I can go back to bed?’ And it didn’t matter if I was in bed for 6-hours or 9-hours, I was always tired in the morning. It eventually was so common that it just became my new normal. My new, always-tired, never-feeling-totally-refreshed, normal. Thinking back it’s exasperating!

At a routine dental check-up, my dentist was inquiring about my overall health and I explained how tired I was. After listening to my scenario, he suggested some answers and potential solutions. Never in a million years did I figure my sleeping disturbances were dental related. After my treatment I can hardly remember how tired I was and I can’t believe how long I lived in that state before having my dentist help.  

Let us know about your sleep problems - fill out our 'Sleep Disorder Evaluation Form'

Evelynne: We grew apart because of his snoring

Derek was perfect in my eyes when we first met, fell in love and married. We started to build a wonderful life together; moving into our dream home, welcoming two great sons, travelling and exploring the world.

In the beginning of our marriage Derek was an occasion snorer but nothing that was of any alarm or concern. Over the course of a few years, his snoring became progressively worse despite our efforts to investigate all the options you hear about. Over-the-counter solutions, visiting sleep experts, changes in lifestyle, changes in sleeping environment . . . we tried it all. It became such an issue between us that we started growing apart because of his snoring.

I became resentful and angry because it was prohibiting me from sleeping and we were both tired and irritable all the time that we just took out our frustrations on each other. Feeling all our options were fading, I mentioned the excessive snoring concerns to my dentist. He explained what a couple of the causes could be and suggested Derek visit him. Sure enough, that was all it took to rid Derek of his snoring and it allowed us to start repairing the damage that years of snoring had taken on our marriage.

Let us know about your sleep problems - fill out our 'Sleep Disorder Evaluation Form'

Mario: Sleepless in . . . Calgary

Infomercials and sports statistics – I was an expert in both these fields. I could tell you the benefits of any food chopper, clothes steamer or vacuum cleaner. I could rattle off statistics of batting averages, penalty minutes and win-loss records. I was a chronic insomniac and middle-of-the-night television was my best friend.

Unfortunately my newfound knowledge didn’t impress any friends or family members. Because I was struggling with a major sleep disorder, my personality was being altered and I was increasingly more ill-tempered and miserable with those around me. My lack of sleep was interfering with my relationships, my personality and my life.

I had tried everything (including learning how to play guitar) I could think of to help me drift off to dreamland. I had visited doctors, taken sleeping pills, looked to natural remedies and nothing was breaking the exhausting and frustrating cycle of insomnia. Ever since I talked to my dentist about my sleep issues, I can’t even begin to explain the difference in my life. He understood my frustrations and provided me with the solution to rid my life of restless nights forever. N

Let us know about your sleep problems - fill out our 'Sleep Disorder Evaluation Form'

Greg: My dentist potentially saved my life

Dating back to my college years, I knew I was a horrible snorer. I was ridiculed constantly by my roommates and sports teammates. In fact, my nickname of ‘Buzz’ followed me around and to this day, there are some who don’t know my real name.

Years after college, I met and married my wife Julia. There were many discussions on how to ‘cure’ my snoring, how to handle the sleep disruptions and who I could go to for help. It wasn’t until one night Julia jolted me awake because she said I had stopped breathing entirely, that we started to explore some serious options. She continued to monitor my breathing throughout the upcoming nights and said she was shocked by the regularity of which I would repeatedly stop breathing each and every night.

When I mentioned these bizarre occurrences to my dentist he said I was experiencing sleep apnea, a serious and if left untreated, potentially fatal sleep disorder. He indicated chronic snoring was a definite pre-cursor to sleep apnea and that he had some treatment options that he would recommend. Now, my snoring has substantially decreased and my sleep apnea is under control. I went to Dr. Westersund for my regular appointment and he potentially saved me from devastating health complications.

Let us know about your sleep problems - fill out our 'Sleep Disorder Evaluation Form'