Sleep apnea is a common medical disorder that is life threatening and affects hundreds of thousands of people in this country every year. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common type of sleep apnea. It occurs when the tongue falls backward while sleeping and blocks the upper airway. The body senses this lack of oxygen, injects adrenaline into the system, and wakes the person with a jolt.
There are a number of potential health issues associated with sleep apnea due to the resulting lack of deep sleep and loss of oxygen to the brain. These health issues include:
- Stroke
- Heart attack/heart disease
- Irregular heart beat
- High blood pressure
- Headaches or migraines
- Dementia
- Impaired memory
- Depression
- Increased motor vehicle and work-related accidents.
Snoring is the most common and obvious sign of sleep apnea. Since people are snoring while sleeping, sleep apnea can go unnoticed or ignored for years. There are other indications that someone may have sleep apnea that are apparent during waking hours, including:
- Feeling tired after a night’s rest
- Difficulty sleeping
- Headaches upon waking
- Inability to concentrate
- Extreme drowsiness during the day
- Memory loss
Snoring alone can impact your quality of life. No one likes to hear from their spouse that they need to sleep somewhere else, or be constantly poked during the night. Feeling tired throughout the day reduces your ability to perform your best at work or at home.
We specialize in alternative treatments for sleep apnea, including oral appliances that are custom made for you. The appliance realigns the jaw and tongue to ensure an open airway so you can breathe normally while sleeping.
We help patients with sleep apnea return to normal life and better health without noisy and uncomfortable C-PAP machines. Call our office today for a free sleep apnea consultation and get on the road to better sleep.
