Sleep Apnea Explained - Our Phoenix Dentist Can Treat Sleep Apnea
Do you wake up frequently during the night? Does your partner comment on your unusual snoring? Do you find yourself dosing off during the day? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may be one of the millions of Americans suffering from sleep apnea. Here at Core Sleep Solutions, Dr. Gary Core helps patients regain a restful night’s sleep by treating sleep apnea.
What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is characterized by shallow breathing or pauses in breathing during sleep. The cessation of breathing can last anywhere from mere seconds to several minutes and can happen more than 30 times in one hour alone. When sufferers finally resume breathing, it is often accompanied by a choking sound or loud snort.
As a chronic condition, sleep apnea frequently disrupts the patient’s sleep. Patients with sleep apnea often sleep lightly due to the condition, which leads to sleep deprivation.
Symptoms of Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea can be difficult to diagnose because most people do not realize that they stop breathing for a few seconds during the night. Often, it is a partner or family member that notices the signs. Symptoms may include:
- Excessive daytime sleepiness (hypersomnia) and difficulty concentrating
- Loud snoring and pauses in breathing during sleep (witnessed by someone)
- Waking up with a sore throat or dry mouth
- Morning headaches
- Difficulty staying asleep (insomnia)
- You may just start to feel your overall health/wellbeing decline as deep sleep is an essential part of our bodies repairing itself and making it able to perform optimally. Many patients with Sleep Apnea are not able to achieve the number of hours needed in REM sleep as they wake up too frequently, even though they don’t even realize it.
Why Treat Sleep Apnea?
While sleep apnea may sound like a mere inconvenience, the consequences of not getting enough sleep can take a large toll on your overall health. Beyond the exhaustion and headaches that sufferers often complain of, untreated sleep apnea can also lead to high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, depression, and diabetes.
Diagnosing Sleep Apnea
Diagnosing and treating sleep apnea is unique among medical conditions as the condition must be diagnosed by your doctor but may be treated by a dentist. The process of determining sleep apnea always includes a a sleep study.
The sleep study is a test that measures the quality of your sleep. For suspected sleep apnea patients, your doctor may recommend a home-based portable monitor or a polysomnogram, both of which monitor the amount of oxygen in your blood, heart rate, air movement through your nose, and chest movements while you breathe. For some patients, a clinical sleep test is suggested where the patient would go to a facility for a night to have their sleep studied.
Our Phoenix dentist will treat your sleep apnea
You don’t have to live with sleep apnea. If you suspect you may suffer from this condition, talk to your doctor today. Treatment will consist of receiving a CPAP machine from your medical doctor or an oral appliance from Phoenix dentist, Dr. Core. Contact Core Sleep Solutions in Phoenix today!