Snoring and Sleep Apnea
Serving Portland, Auburn, and Gray, Maine
You may think that snoring is nothing more than a minor (or major) nuisance, but sometimes it is the sign of a dangerous, potentially deadly condition, obstructive sleep apnea. Because this condition has been shown to increase your risk of heart attack and/or death from cardiovascular disease by as much as 30 %, it is important to diagnose and treat it today.
What Is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a condition in which your breathing stops at night. During these moments, described as apneic events, your blood oxygen level drops. When your blood oxygen level drops sufficiently, your brain wakes up enough to resume breathing. The clinical definition of this condition means you suffer at least ten of these episodes an hour, meaning that you wake up at least eighty times over the course of an eight-hour sleep period. These waking moments prevent you from ever reaching the deeper stages of sleep, which are essential to good health.
What Causes Sleep Apnea?
There are three types of sleep apnea: central and obstructive and mixed. Central sleep apnea is the result of a neurological condition in which your brain stops telling your lungs to breathe. Obstructive sleep apnea is caused by the relaxation of muscles that hold the airways open, leading to the collapse of the airways.
Obstructive sleep apnea is very common, suffered by about 12 million Americans, mostly affecting men over 50 who are overweight. It can also be related to TMJ because the tissues of the airway depend on a properly aligned jaw for support when the muscles relax. Mixed sleep apnea is a combination of central and obstructive sleep apnea.
Symptoms of Sleep Apnea
Snoring is a very common sign of obstructive sleep apnea because as the airway constricts it leads to turbulent airflow and vibration of the soft tissues, which we hear as snoring. About 30 % of people who snore have obstructive sleep apnea, and about 70 % of people with obstructive sleep apnea are snorers. Especially indicative of sleep apnea is snoring that ends with gasping or choking. Other symptoms of sleep apnea include:
- Daytime sleepiness
- Waking at night or in the morning with a headache or feeling unrested
- Difficulty concentrating or remembering
- Weight gain or difficulty losing weight
- Depression, irritability, mood swings
- Medical conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes
The only way to be sure if you suffer from sleep apnea and the degree of your apnea is with a positive diagnosis through a sleep medicine center.
Sleep Apnea Treatment
There are many options for treating sleep apnea. For very mild cases of sleep apnea, behavioral therapy, including losing weight and avoiding alcohol before bed, may be sufficient. For some people, doctors recommend what is known as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), a pump and mask assembly that forces air into the throat to keep the airways open. However, only about 25 % of people who are prescribed CPAP are able to adapt to its use, meaning that they continue to suffer from sleep apnea.
Another very successful treatment is oral appliance therapy. Dr. Robert Beebe can fit you with an appliance to properly position your jaw (and sometimes tongue) during sleep can keep your airway open without the need for restrictive and potentially uncomfortable equipment during sleep. Even for people who do not have sleep apnea, oral appliance therapy effectively treats snoring, leading to a better night's rest for you and your partner. It must be kept in mind that a sleep study should be done prior to any appliance therapy.
To learn more about the symptoms, dangers, and treatment of this condition, schedule a sleep apnea consultation with Dr. Beebe today.
Maine Cosmetic Dentistry
1-800-338-5254
Gray Plaza 31 Portland Rd
Gray, ME 04039
Cosmetic Dentistry
