Understanding Sleep Apnea

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a very serious condition that needs careful attention and treatment. When you have sleep apnea, you stop breathing repeatedly throughout the night, interrupting your sleep. People with OSA have low blood oxygen levels.

When obstructive sleep apnea occurs, the tongue and the muscles at the back of the throat relax and fall back when you go to sleep. This blocks the upper airway, stopping the airflow. The whole body gets deprived of the oxygen it needs to work properly. As the oxygen level in the brain becomes low enough, the brain signals the body to “wake up” and breathe (usually with a loud gasp, coughing or choking sound). This can happen many times throughout the night causing the person to wake up constantly and hindering the ability to rest.

Continuous cycles of low oxygenation lead to very serious problems. People with sleep apnea suffer from excessive daytime sleepiness, depression, headaches and loss of concentration. They have increased the risk of heart attack and stroke and typically live about 15 years less!

It is very important to realize that snoring is usually a warning sign of sleep apnea. If you snore, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have the condition, but there is something getting in the way of your breathing that needs to be evaluated.

Typically women suffer from obstructions that are less severe than apneas but suffer many of the same symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea. They are severely overlooked and dismisses by many health professionals. They have the same risks and can greatly benefit from oral appliance treatment.

What causes sleep apnea?

The exact cause of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is different for each person. Anyone can develop it, regardless of age or gender. The most common risk factors include:

• Having a large tongue or small jaw
• Enlarged tonsils and adenoids (particularly in children)
• Using alcohol, marijuana products or sedatives which relax the muscles in the airway
• Nasal obstruction due to a deviated septum or sinus and allergy problems
• Having a large neck (over 17 inches in men, 16 inches for women)
• Being over 40 years old, however anyone from children to adults can develop OSA
• Being overweight – approximately half of OSA sufferers are overweight
• Men are more prone than women to suffer from OSA, but after menopause, the risk for women increases and is the same as that for men

Oral appliance therapy can be the first line of treatment for snoring and obstructive sleep apnea!

If you have any symptoms of sleep apnea call us to make an appointment with Dr. Rodriguez-Valle, our Dental Sleep Medicine specialist. We can get you tested to fully and accurately diagnose your sleep condition. Sleep studies can be completed at the comfort of your home or in a sleep lab. We will guide you through the process of getting tested and discuss the best treatment options.

Take our Sleep Apnea Quiz and get a step closer to feeling more energized!

Take our quiz, below, to see if you may be diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea!