Everything You Need to Know About Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that complicates breathing during sleep. This condition can cause more than 30 disruptions each night, characterized by breaks in breathing, gasping, waking up with headaches, and feeling unfocused and exhausted during the day. Additionally, it often leads to loud snoring that might keep your partner awake.
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea – This is the most common type, where tissues at the back of your throat collapse and block your airway while you sleep.
- Central Sleep Apnea – This type occurs when communication between your brain and breathing muscles is disrupted, leading to interruptions in breathing.
There are two principal types of sleep apnea:
What Advantages Does Treating Sleep Apnea Offer?
Getting a good night’s sleep is fundamentally important for emotional and physical health. Even unnoticed, sleep apnea interruptions can deteriorate your health, relationships, and life quality both now and in the future. What additional benefits can you expect from sleep apnea treatment?
Better physical health
Surprisingly, managing your sleep apnea can lower your chances of developing high blood pressure, heart complications, type 2 diabetes, and liver issues, while easing the burden on your metabolic system. Additionally, it can reduce complications during surgeries or when using certain medications.
Rediscover your normal self again
Ever feel like you’ve forgotten something important or can’t find the right words? Those with sleep apnea commonly report grogginess upon waking and persistent brain fog. However, treating sleep apnea can lead to feeling clearer, more focused, and rejuvenated.
Build stronger relationship
Addressing your sleep apnea is advantageous for both you and your partner. Reducing or stopping your snoring enhances sleep quality for both of you, leading to uninterrupted nights. You’ll both rise with improved moods, and find daily tasks in parenting, work, and personal relationships more fulfilling. Your upbeat mood will inspire others.
What Methods Are Used to Treat Sleep Apnea?
There are multiple approaches to treating sleep apnea, depending on its root cause and severity. We strive to identify a treatment that complements your lifestyle perfectly.
Lifestyle adjustments
The great news is that treating mild sleep apnea at home is entirely possible. Recommendations may include losing weight, steering clear of alcohol and sleeping aids, changing your sleep posture, practicing good sleep hygiene, and giving up smoking. These proven and safe methods are often advised even when using additional treatments.
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Treatment
As the leading treatment for sleep apnea, CPAP machines are likely something you’ve heard about. These devices use a mask that covers either the nose, mouth, or both while you sleep, and are attached to a machine that emits a constant stream of air. This airflow ensures your airways remain open for normal breathing. Depending on your comfort and requirements, there are several mask styles and machines to choose from.
Oral Therapy Appliances
There are specific appliances that you can wear in your mouth while sleeping to relieve sleep apnea symptoms. These appliances generally look and feel similar to a mouthguard and function differently depending on the root cause of your symptoms. They may help lessen snoring, pull your jaw forward to clear the airway, or stabilize your tongue.
Medical and Surgical Treatments
Certain causes of sleep apnea might be managed with surgery or medications. Frequent surgical treatments include repairing a deviated nasal septum, expanding a narrow throat or airway, or adjusting the jaw to clear throat blockages.
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to schedule an initial consultation & exam.
Your consultation will include an examination of everything from your teeth, gums and soft tissues to the shape and condition of your bite. Generally, we want to see how your whole mouth looks and functions. Before we plan your treatment we want to know everything about the health and aesthetic of your smile, and, most importantly, what you want to achieve so we can help you get there.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Sleep apnea symptoms include difficulty achieving deep sleep and enduring the effects of poor rest. Sufferers may snore loudly, experience breathing pauses, awaken choking, need nighttime bathroom visits, and feel unrefreshed by sleep. Daytime effects include headaches, concentration problems, irritability, memory lapses, mental fog, and reduced libido.
There are many potential causes of sleep apnea. For adults, the primary type is obstructive sleep apnea, typically caused by excess weight and obesity. Only a professional assessment can accurately identify your type of sleep apnea and its root cause.
If sleep apnea deprives you of oxygen, your brain quickly interrupts your sleep to restore breathing, leading to awakenings so brief you likely won’t remember them. You could be waking up more than 30 times each night and not realize it, only experiencing morning grogginess as a clue.
Your risk for sleep apnea may be higher if you’re overweight, male, have a family history of this condition or sleep poorly, consume alcohol or use sleeping pills, smoke, or suffer from nasal congestion. Additionally, sleep apnea is more common in older adults.
Studies indicate that side sleeping, also referred to as the lateral position, is most ideal for reducing sleep apnea and snoring.
Although obstructive sleep apnea commonly occurs in individuals who are overweight, the condition has various causes, and people of any body type, including those who are thin, can also develop it.
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