Sleep apnea is a potentially life-threatening sleep disorder characterized by repeated pauses in breathing during sleep. The term sleep apnea is derived from the Greek etymology meaning “without breath”. Breathing pauses can last anywhere from several seconds to minutes, and happen as often as 30 times or more per hour. Ongoing disrupted breathing causes an imbalance between the carbon dioxide and oxygen levels in the bloodstream, as not enough carbon dioxide is exiting and not enough oxygen is entering the body.
Sensing this imbalance, the brain sends a message to the body, telling it to wake up to restart breathing the process. People with sleep apnea will partially awake as they struggle to breathe, and this is often accompanied by loud snoring or choking sensations. Because people with sleep apnea don’t always completely awake during the episodes, they are often unaware they have a sleeping disorder and it can remain undiagnosed.
There are two main types of this disorder; central sleep apnea which occurs when the brain fails to send important signals to the breathing muscles, and obstructive sleep apnea which occurs when air cannot flow through the nose or mouth even though the body is still trying to breathe. Obstructive sleep apnea is far more prevalent and easily treatable by the dentist.
Common signs of obstructive sleep apnea can include severe early morning headaches, sleepiness in the daytime, and insomnia. Fortunately, the dentist is equipped with the necessary technology and expertise to treat sleep apnea in several different ways.
Sleep Apnea
Reason for treating sleep apnea
It is very important to seek medical attention if sleep apnea is suspected. A sufferer can completely stop numerous times per hour, and this can quickly turn into a deadly situation. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the soft tissue lying at the back of the patient’s throat collapses into the airway. The tongue then falls towards the back of the throat which tightens the blockage and prevents oxygen from entering the lungs.
The problem worsens when the chest region, diaphragm, and abdomen fight for air. The efforts they make to obtain vital oxygen only cause a further tightening of the blockage. The patient must arouse from deep sleep to tense the tongue and remove the soft tissue from the airway.
Because sleep apnea causes carbon dioxide levels to skyrocket in the blood and oxygen levels to decrease, the heart has to pump harder and faster to compensate for the lack of oxygen. Sleep apnea patients can technically “die” many times each night. Sleep apnea has been linked to a series of serious heart-related conditions, and should be investigated by the dentist at the earliest opportunity.
Do you hate wearing your CPAP mask?
Did you know there were CPAP Alternatives?
Having a hard time sleeping due to that annoying mask, does it keep your partner awake because of the noise and comotion.Let Dr.Mansour regain that comfortable sleep you have been after. New advances in technology mean that you no longer have to put up with wearing the mask. You can get a custom fitted mouth piece that could make all the difference in your life. Dr.Mansour is qualified to put you on the right track to getting your sleep back to normal. Call and schedule a consultation to see what Dr.Mansour can do to give you your sleep back.
There are several alterantives to the mask and your dentist can tell you what works best for you.Devices like the SomnoDent® are a custom made device worn during sleep toincrease the upper airway volume and
reducecollapsibility.
SomnoDent® Flex& Classic devices each utilize a uniquefin coupling component, maximizing patient comfort and compliance.
Call us today and schedule your complimentary consultation regarding sleep apnea to see what our doctors can do for you. Your sleep is important dont deglect it.