If you have trouble with excessive snoring, sleep apnea, or even regular trouble sleeping at night, we want to help you be informed about your condition and treatments that can help. If you don’t find your answer on this page, call our team at Solis Dental today for the answers to your questions!
Sleep apnea is a condition that causes you to stop breathing while you’re sleeping. The word “apnea” comes from the Greek word for “breathless.” Sleep apnea happens because you stop breathing in your sleep. This happens either because of blockage of your airway) or because your brain doesn’t correctly control your breathing.
Sleep apnea prevents restful sleep and can have other effects, including putting stress on your heart that can have potentially deadly consequences.
The most common symptoms of obstructive and central sleep apneas include:
Snoring
Aggressive Behavior
Ear/Sinus Infections
Restless Sleep
Moodiness
Short Attention Span
Swollen Tonsils
Narrow Jaw
If left untreated, sleep apnea can result in more than just chronic snoring. In fact, when the condition is untreated, it can significantly impact your overall health and quality of life. Here, we list five potential complications of obstructive sleep apnea.
Chronic tiredness
Difficulty concentrating and poor memory
Increased risk for cardiovascular disorders
Mental health problems
Sexual dysfunction
Don’t let this happen to you! Call Solis Dental today and see how our team can help you get your sleep back!
An at-home sleep apnea test is an easy way to discover whether you’re having trouble breathing at night. The test utilizes a breathing monitor that tracks your breaths, oxygen levels, and breathing effort while you sleep. While DIY tests don’t fully capture what’s monitored in a lab during overnight sleep studies, they’re often effective in determining whether you have the condition.
Yes, Apple has added the ability to track your sleep metrics and respiratory rate throughout the night, which could help to detect early signs of medical conditions like sleep apnea.
Using its built-in accelerometer, the Apple Watch can track the number of breaths you take per minute while asleep. You can then check the results in the Health app, which also gives you deeper insight into the data on a regular basis.
Before seeing an expert about your sleep apnea, you can try a few treatments that may help.
Use a nasal decongestant or allergy medications.
Don’t sleep on your back.
Lose weight.
Exercise regularly.
Avoid alcohol. Don’t drink in the hours before bedtime.
Quit smoking.
Avoid taking sedative medications such as anti-anxiety drugs or sleeping pills.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea: OSA is the most common of the sleep apnea types and is usually caused by a partial or complete blockage of the airway.
Central Sleep Apnea: CSA is a communication problem, unlike OSA, which is considered a mechanical problem. CSA occurs when your brain temporarily fails to signal the muscles that control your breathing to move.
Mixed Sleep Apnea: MSA is a combination of both sleep apnea types, so it results when you have episodes of OSA and CSA. In some cases, people with OSA being treated with Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, or CPAP, devices develop CSA.
The short answer is, yes. There are so many sources of stress in life that can cause you to struggle with sleep. Stress affects your basic health, from your ability to stay focused at work to your capacity for spending energy throughout the day. It can sap you of your motivation, making you feel like you don’t have the energy to do anything.
Side sleeping is the preferred position for helping calm your sleep apnea. Sleeping on your side has benefits like relieving back pain, reducing snoring and sleep apnea risk, improving gut health, enhancing brain waste removal, and supporting a healthier pregnancy. The preferred side is the left side unless you have a chronic heart condition, in which case you may prefer the right side. Stretch out your body when sleeping on your side to maximize your lung capacity. Also, avoid curling up to reduce the chances of other problems like acid reflux, which can contribute to worsening your apneas.
Our dental team can help you decide what treatments would be the best course of action for you. Our team can walk you through any extra questions you may have.
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