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Do you go to bed at a reasonable hour, sleep through the night, but still wake up exhausted? This can be extremely frustrating and make life very difficult. Sleep is an essential part of your mental and physical health, and anything that affects it can have serious consequences. What could be causing your sleep problems? It may be sleep apnea, a condition suffered by nearly 20 million Americans each night.
Sleep apnea occurs when a person’s breathing becomes completely blocked during the night. This can happen many times over the course of the evening and does not always wake a person up. This obstruction can be caused in two ways:
The most common form of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea or OSA. It occurs when the soft tissue in a patient’s mouth and throat relaxes so much during sleep that it cuts off their airway.
The other is central sleep apnea or CSA. This is neurologically based, meaning that a person’s breathing is cut off because their brain stops sending the correct signals to the body.
People can suffer from one kind of sleep apnea or a combination of both. Some common symptoms are:
The continual loss of oxygen is very stressful on the body, and over time, these symptoms can lead to serious consequences, as people with sleep apnea have a significantly higher risk of suffering heart attacks and strokes.
Sleep apnea can affect many different kinds of people, but certain risk factors are common:
If any of these symptoms sound familiar to you, the first step to getting treatment is to have a sleep study done. This is extremely important, as 80% of the people who suffer from sleep apnea are undiagnosed. our doctor can refer you to a qualified local sleep doctor who can properly diagnose your sleep apnea in Dallas. After this, he can help you come up with an effective treatment plan.
The most common type of sleep apnea therapy is a CPAP machine, which would involve you wearing a mask connected to an air pump that would continually force oxygen into your mouth and throat, preventing them from closing off. While this works well for many patients, it is not a one-size-fits-all solution.
Another method is an approach called oral appliance therapy. A patient would use a small, custom-made mouthguard to alleviate their sleep apnea, and it would do this by gently shifting their jaw forward, preventing their airway from becoming blocked. Oral appliances also have the added benefit of being able to stop snoring, and can even be paired with a CPAP machine for combined therapy. You can get your own oral appliance from our doctor.
In any case, sleep apnea is rarely ever “cured,” so despite which treatment works best for you, you will need to be diligent about using it every single night. It is the only way to help you sleep soundly and prevent the long-term effects of sleep apnea.
We welcome you to join our dental family and look forward to serving you. If you are looking for comprehensive general and cosmetic dentistry services in Auburn and the surrounding communities, look no further than SL Implant & General Dentistry. Contact us today to schedule your appointment!
