Sleep apnea is a problem that prevents people who suffer from it, and their partners, from getting a good night of sleep. Eliminating sleep apnea does not have to involve going through surgery thanks to new advances in dental technology. Instead, you can get an oral device that is customized to the shape of your mouth to prevent the symptoms of sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is a problem that prevents people who suffer from it, and their partners, from getting a good night of sleep. Eliminating sleep apnea does not have to involve going through surgery thanks to new advances in dental technology. Instead, you can get an oral device that is customized to the shape of your mouth to prevent the symptoms of sleep apnea.
In order to be given the oral device that will prevent sleep apnea, you will first have to go through a sleep study in order to diagnose your sleep apnea accurately. This is conducted with a board certified sleep medicine physician at an AASM certified sleep center. Once diagnosed, you will work with Dr. Darren Flowers to have a device fitted specifically for your mouth and your needs. Worn every night, you should be able to enjoy a better night of sleep and face your life with renewed vigor. The device works by keeping the airway from collapsing by moving the jaw into a forward position or by holding your tongue in position.
Sleep apnea is not only troublesome because it causes you to lose sleepand have days or weeks in which you are exhausted, but it can actuallybe life threatening. Those who suffer from sleep apnea are known to stopbreathing for periods of time while sleeping. No oxygen can get intothe lungs, causing the body to go into emergency mode in which thepatient gasps for breath. If the body is too exhausted to go into thisemergency mode, the patient may never wake up. Wearing an oral sleepapnea device can help to prevent this from happening.
Other than being able to save your life, you will notice you are getting more restful sleep while you are wearing the oral sleep apnea device. Those who live with someone who suffers from sleep apnea will also start sleeping better, because there will be less noise at night. They will worry less about the health and safety of their significant other. Once fabricated and used, you may notice an improvement in mental acuity as well as your performance in everyday activities.
With experience in the dental industry since 1995, he has beenproviding dental patients with the help they need to have a better smileand a better night of sleep. Dedicated to providing you the finest inoral care, Dr. Darren Flowers has a staff just as dedicated to your oralneeds as he is. Together, these professionals work hard to make sureyou are given the comfortable and friendly attention you deserve whengoing to the dentist. Dr. Darren Flowers looks forward to assisting youwith your sleep apnea disorder.
Sleep Apnea is a sleep disorder that affects an estimated of 50-70million people in the United States. The disorder is characterized bylong pauses in breathing or shallow breathing while asleep. Each pauseis known as an apnea episode, and in severe cases can last up for a fewminutes. Shallow breathing episodes are known as hypopnea, and oftenoccur in between apnea episodes. This disorder can be very severe, andcan cause other health issues to form.
There are three types of sleep apnea disorder: obstructive, central,and mixed sleep apnea. Each type has their own set of symptoms and riskfactors, but each type is characterized by apnea and hypopnea episodes.
Obstructivesleep apnea is the most common type of sleep apnea, and occurs mostfrequently in people with low muscle mass around their airway. Lowmuscle tone can occur if the patient is overweight, or if they areactive smokers. During sleep, patients with this type of sleep apneasnore loudly, are very restless, and can experience 5-30 apnea episodesper hour. Patients who exhibit symptoms of this disorder should see asleep specialist in order to get diagnosed and treated very quickly. Ifleft untreated, patients will develop a higher risk of cardiovasculardisease, heart arrhythmias, diabetes and stroke. Patients who have aBMI >30, who are diabetic, smokers, or above the age of 65 do have anincreased risk of developing this type of sleep apnea.
Centralsleep apnea is a neurological disorder that can affect anyone. It occurswhen the respiratory control centers in the brain begin to malfunction,causing the patient to have apnea episodes at night. Patients who havethis disorder have an imbalance in their neurological feedback mechanismthat allows them to breathe normally while in sleep states. Theirfeedback mechanism will not react quickly during hours of sleep, andthis causes the patient to stop breathing for periods of time at night.Patients with this disorder have an increased risk of seizures and heartattacks. In worst-case scenarios, patients can even die in their sleepdue to the prolonging of their episodes.
Mixed apnea is acombination of both obstructive and central sleep apnea. Patients whohave severe obstructive sleep apnea often develop central apneaovertime. For this reason, it is extremely important to undergotreatment for obstructive sleep apnea so that central apnea cannotarise. However, patients who do develop symptoms of central apnea,usually have very little episodes of central apnea, and will mostlyexhibit more signs of obstructive apnea. They will only experienceepisodes of central apnea after patients have undergone prolonged CPAPtherapy for their obstructive sleep apnea. Fortunately though, patientswith mixed apnea experience central apnea episodes very rarely, and theyare self-limiting.
In order to receive the correct treatment for sleep apnea the first stepis to get a proper diagnosis. A diagnosis is based off of an evaluationof a patient’s symptoms and the results of a sleep study. During aformal sleep study patients will sleep overnight at a sleep clinic whiledoctors and technicians measure a patient’s brain activity, eyemovements, heart rhythm and muscle activity. The results will allowdoctors to see exactly how many apnea episodes a patient has per night,and will also give them information on a patient’s overall health whilethey are sleeping. Oximetry can also be used to diagnose sleep apnea. Itis often performed in the comfort of the patient’s home, and measuresthe patient’s oxygen levels throughout the night. This test can beperformed over numerous nights to gain an insight on the average numberof apnea and hypopnea episodes a person has per night.
Fortunately for patients, there are a variety of treatment options for sleep apnea. The first treatment that doctors will try is often behavioral therapy. This involves the patient trying to lose weight if necessary, avoiding alcohol and avoiding sleeping pills. In mild cases of sleep apnea, behavioral therapy is often enough.
In moderate tosevere cases of sleep apnea, medications such as muscle relaxers ormedications that increase respiration can be utilized. Other options formoderate to severe cases include using an oral appliance. The mostcommon oral appliance for sleep apnea is a CPAP machine. This machinewill force air into the patient’s respiratory tract at night to preventapnea episodes. If none of these options work, then there are surgicaloptions available
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