Snoring & Sleep Apnea
Procedures to Address Snoring or Sleep Apnea
You may have heard of sleep apnea as a reason you or someone in your household snores. This is the most common symptom attributed to sleep apnea. However, sleep apnea isn't just noisy and irritating to your sleeping partner. It is a dangerous condition that can lead to heart attack, stroke, or death. This is because sleep apnea causes you to stop breathing while you are asleep. In extreme cases, your breathing may stop hundreds of times a night. Imagine the toll these disruptions in breathing have on your sleep and your overall health. People with sleep apnea can have a decreased life expectancy of 10-20 years. It is literally a life or death condition.
If you believe you may have sleep apnea and are in the Portland or Scarborough area, please contact our sleep apnea specialists for an initial consultation.
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Causes of Sleep Apnea
It is estimated that 12 million people in the US have some form of sleep apnea, experiencing many stoppages in breathing each night. This cessation is due to your tongue or the soft tissue at the back of your throat relaxing and collapsing on your airway. Your airway may narrow or actually close, and as a result, oxygen flow is reduced or can be cut off altogether. When you quit breathing for a period of time, your brain will actually wake you up to take a breath. This may happen without you consciously realizing it since it may only occur for a few seconds at a time but it can interrupt your normal sleep cycle so you do not get restful sleep. Even more of a concern though is that the lack of oxygen to your bloodstream is dangerous and can affect your overall health.
Snoring is a common symptom, but there are others to pay attention to. Symptoms include:
Daytime or chronic fatigue
Insomnia
Problems with memory or concentration
Dry mouth
Depression or other mood changes
Risks of Sleep Apnea
Many of these symptoms sound like symptoms you would have because you didn't get enough sleep. This is because you wake before your body gets into the proper sleep cycle due to oxygen deprivation. Sleep apnea can also cause:
High blood pressure
Weight gain
Fibromyalgia
Heart arrhythmia
Diabetes
Stroke
Heart attack
Treatment for Sleep Apnea
Depending on the severity of your sleep apnea, it may be treated in different ways. These may include lifestyle changes. If you smoke, drink alcohol to excess, or are overweight, then changing these things can help reduce or even eliminate your sleep apnea. If your case is more severe, there are still treatments available. Your physician may prescribe CPAP (Continuous Positive Air Pressure) which is a device you wear to sleep to maintain the air pressure in your lungs. However, many people find these devices uncomfortable. There have also been problems keeping these devices clean and some have even caused more serious problems due to breakdown and inhalation of the components of the device. Lastly, compliance is very poor because of the many problems patients have with CPAP. Fortunately, there are more comfortable dental appliance alternatives that can be as effective as CPAP without all of the drawbacks. Our doctors are trained in providing these alternatives to CPAP and are trained in diagnosing sleep apnea and providing the most comfortable, durable appliances available.
If you would like to learn more about snoring and sleep apnea or believe you may have sleep apnea, please contact us for an initial consultation.