What is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep Apnea is a potentially life-threatening condition. Its symptoms like daytime drowsiness, difficulty concentrating, irritability and moodiness can damage your personal and professional life.

Obstructive sleep apnea can affect people of all ages. If left untreated, it can lead to serious health issues including high blood pressure and heart disease.

Causes

A person with sleep apnea experiences pauses in breathing that last from seconds to minutes during sleep. These episodes happen hundreds of times a night and disrupt a normal sleeping pattern. The lack of restful sleep results in fatigue and a higher risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and depression.

The most common cause of sleep apnea Raleigh NC is obstructive sleep apnea, where the airway collapses while a person breathes in and out. This causes the windpipe to collaber and block the airflow and produces a loud sound like snoring. This is more common in overweight people but it can affect anyone.

Other causes of sleep apnea include smoking, drinking alcohol, and the use of sedatives or tranquilizers. Central sleep apnea is less common and occurs when the brain fails to send the proper signals to the muscles responsible for breathing. This can be caused by nerve disorders, strokes, or brain tumors. Many people don’t even know that they have sleep apnea until their bed partner complains about their snoring or wakes them repeatedly throughout the night.

Symptoms

Many people do not know that they have sleep apnea. Some symptoms include loud snoring, gasping or choking sounds during sleep, dry mouth and sore throat, feeling tired even after a good night’s rest, daytime sleepiness and irritability, poor memory and concentration.

If you or a loved one are experiencing any of these symptoms, it is important to see a dentist trained in the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders. Sleep apnea deprives the brain of oxygen and can have serious long-term health consequences.

The most common type of sleep apnea is called obstructive sleep apnea. This occurs when the airway is blocked by enlarged adenoids or tonsils, narrowed upper throat, tongue base, the soft palate or a deviated septum. It is most common in men and overweight individuals. Less common is central sleep apnea, in which the brain fails to send proper signals to the muscles to breathe. Central sleep apnea can be seen in younger and women, and can be caused by heart disorders, stroke, neuromuscular conditions or brain tumors.

Diagnosis

Sleep apnea can have a devastating impact on the health of patients who do not seek treatment. The repeated episodes of pauses in breathing can lead to high blood pressure, heart failure and stroke over time. Symptoms such as fatigue and poor concentration can affect your work and family life.

The most effective way to diagnose sleep apnea Raleigh NC is by getting a polysomnogram, or a sleep study. This will allow the doctor to see your brain activity, your breath, your snoring and other signs of sleep disorders.

Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common form of sleep apnea and is caused by the collapse of soft tissues over the windpipe. It can cause you to stop breathing hundreds of times a night for a few seconds to a minute or more. This jolts the body, which disrupts sleep and causes fatigue. It can also cause headaches, dry mouth and other problems. The most dangerous form of sleep apnea is central sleep apnea, which occurs when the brain fails to send the correct signals to the muscles that control breathing.

Treatment

There are many different treatments available depending on the type of sleep apnea you have. One common treatment is a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. This device delivers compressed air through a mask that you wear over your nose or mouth while you sleep, which helps prevent your airway from collapsing and stops the choking noise that causes you to wake up.

For mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea or for patients who cannot tolerate CPAP, a removable oral appliance can be an effective option. These small devices, which we also call snore guards, prevent the tongue from falling into the throat and advance the lower jaw forward, helping to keep the airway open while you sleep.

Sleep apnea interferes with your ability to get a good night’s rest and can cause many health problems. If you or a loved one suffers from loud snoring, interrupted breathing in the middle of the night, gasping for breath, headache in the morning, daytime sleepiness or irritability, schedule a visit with a dentist in Raleigh specializing in sleep disorders.