What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a common disorder that disrupts your sleep. Unfortunately, about one in ten people suffer from sleep apnea. During obstructive sleep apnea, which most people with sleep apnea suffer from, your tongue blocks your airway. Since this stops your brain from getting oxygen, your brain will briefly wake to allow for normal breathing. Unfortunately, this constant waking during rest causes your brain and your body to experience fatigue over time.
The Symptoms of Sleep Apnea
Many people live with sleep apnea without a proper diagnosis. However, there are certain warning signs that you should be aware of. For example, waking up with a dry mouth or a morning headache could mean that you didn’t have a restful sleep. Additionally, experiencing insomnia or daytime fatigue is telling as well.
You may not notice other symptoms of sleep apnea until a partner tells you. These symptoms include loud snoring, gasping for air, and periods of short breaths during sleep. If you experience any of these symptoms, see a specialist to get helpful sleep apnea treatment.
Sleep Apnea Has Lasting Effects
You may think that these symptoms don’t sound too bad since morning headaches or a dry throat seem pretty easy to manage. However, you should know that sleep apnea has lasting effects on multiple aspects of your life.
First, apnea causes daytime fatigue. Though mild sleepiness is manageable, constant fatigue could lead to drowsiness both at home and at work. Additionally, people with fatigue get into more workplace accidents and car accidents. Fatigue also leads to an ill-temper, which could present as irritability or anger instead of being your best self.
Also, sudden drops in blood oxygen put a strain on your cardiovascular system. In other words, you could develop high blood pressure (hypertension) or other heart problems. This increases your risk of heart attack and stroke.
Other conditions that could arise are Type 2 Diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and liver disorders. Therefore, if you or a loved one shows signs of sleep apnea, you should seek treatment immediately.
Oral Appliances for a Restful Sleep
At Dr. Richard Crosby General & Cosmetic Dentistry, we provide a comfortable, reliable sleep apnea treatment method. Instead of large, loud CPAP machines, we use oral appliances to make it easier for you to treat sleep apnea.
After your diagnosis, we will scan your smile using a CT scanner. This will allow us to prepare a custom-fit oral appliance for your smile to increase your health. The plastic appliance fits like a mouthguard and repositions your jaw and tongue to allow for constant airflow while you sleep.
Since we use a comfortable, easy treatment method, you’ll get restful sleep without the hassle of a CPAP machine.
Your Sleep Apnea Specialist in Anchorage
If you suffer from sleep apnea, it’s time to get some relief. Both you and your partner deserve to have restful nights ahead of you. To learn more about oral appliance therapy and how it can help sleep apnea, schedule a consultation with our team at Dr. Richard Crosby General & Cosmetic Dentistry. Call us at (907) 277-1098 to schedule your appointment.
