Sleep Dentistry

Do you or your partner struggle with loud snoring? Do you wake up multiple times a night? Do you feel tired all the time? Are you concerned with a growing waistline or a shortened temper? Believe it or not, these may all be signs of the same issue: Sleep Apnea.

What is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep Apnea is a serious sleep disorder affecting the lives of more than 18 million American adults. It is a condition where your breathing stops repeatedly while you sleep. This is caused by your airway to become blocked while you are sleeping, lowering your blood oxygen level as you stop breathing for anywhere from a few seconds to two minutes. This may happen only a few times a night, or be repeated many times a night.

Many people are not aware they are suffering from Sleep Apnea. They think symptoms such as a sore throat, loud snoring, and problems falling asleep are due to age or stress or other outside factors.

There are multiple types of Sleep Apnea:

• Obstructive Sleep Apnea: the most commonly met type of Sleep Apnea which takes place when the throat muscles relax, causing you to wake suddenly in your sleep.
• Central Sleep Apnea: takes place when the patient’s brain does not send the correct signals to the muscles which control the breathing.
• Complex Sleep Apnea: also named treatment-emergent central sleep apnea, it is experienced when a patient has the first two types of sleep apnea at the same time.

When your sleep is disturbed, many medical issues can arise. Decreased blood flow to the brain and body can lead to:

• Heart Attack
• Heart Disease
• Stroke
• Diabetes
• High Blood Pressure

• Sexual Dysfunction
• Memory Loss
• Daytime Sleepiness
• Depression
• Lower Cognitive Ability
• Obesity
• Carotid Artery problems