Sleep Apnea
When snoring gets serious
Do you or your partner snore so loudly and frequently that it’s affecting not only your quality of sleep, but your quality of life during the day? Do you find yourself constantly waking up in the night to use the restroom, or choking or gasping for air? You may suffer from sleep apnea, and you may not even know it.
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What is sleep apnea?
Sleep apnea is a common and dangerous sleep disorder that affects millions of Americans, while many cases remain undiagnosed. Because symptoms are mostly present when the patient is asleep, many don’t even realize they have sleep apnea until serious systemic health problems arise.
Obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA happens when the soft tissues in the back of the throat collapse during sleep, preventing the proper flow of air and making it difficult to breathe. Sleep apnea can have a huge impact on not only your sleep, but your overall quality of life and your total body health.
Signs & symptoms
Some of the signs and symptoms of sleep apnea include:
- Loud, frequent snoring
- Sleeping or breathing disruptions
- Choking or gasping for air
- Chronic dry mouth or throat
- Headaches or migraines
- Excessive daytime sleepiness
- Depression, anxiety, fatigue
Risk factors
You may be at a higher risk for developing sleep apnea if you fall into any of these categories:
- Male
- Overweight
- Over age 40
- Large neck
- Drink alcohol
- Use muscle relaxers or tranquilizers
Health concerns
If you suffer from sleep apnea, you are likely unable to get a good night’s sleep night after night. When sleep is the only time the body can truly repair itself, your quality of life during the day will suffer, and your health will start to deteriorate. Sleep apnea significantly increases your risk for serious health problems including:
- Heart attack
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Diabetes
- Depression
- High blood pressure
- Erectile dysfunction
- Chronic acid reflux
- Even death
Treatment with Oral Appliance Therapy
If you’ve noticed any of the above signs and symptoms, or have been diagnosed with sleep apnea but find CPAP machine treatment intolerable, we may have just the solution you’ve been looking for. Instead of a loud, bulky, invasive CPAP machine, we can fit you with a custom-made oral appliance that you wear during sleep. Your oral appliance gently shifts the lower jaw forward, thus preventing the airway from collapsing, and allowing you to breathe normally throughout the night. Oral appliance therapy is a safe and effective treatment for sleep apnea, and a wonderful alternative to the CPAP machine.
Give us a call!
Take back your nights, your days, your health, and your life with oral appliance therapy sleep apnea treatment. If you have any questions or would like to schedule a consultation with your Cornelius sleep apnea specialist – Dr. Ryan S. Whalen at Whalen Dentistry – give us a call today.