Sleep Apnea Treatment Covington

 
 

How can sleep apnea treatment improve your quality of life?

Do you wake up with a headache regularly or always feel like you just can’t get a good night’s rest?  Sleep insufficiency may be caused by broad scale of factors such as heavy working schedules, night shifts, stress, but it can be often due to sleep disorders such as insomnia or sleep apnea.

According to a study of the US National Sleep Foundation, an estimated of 40 million US adults suffer from chronic sleep disorders. Out of those, 22 million suffer from sleep apnea, with 80 percent of the cases of moderate and severe obstructive sleep apnea undiagnosed. When left untreated, sleep apnea can lead to high blood pressure, chronic heart failure, stroke and other cardiovascular problems.  It can also cause diabetes and depression.

Sleep apnea can strike people of any age, including infants, but it is most frequently observed among men over 40 years, especially those who are overweight.

What is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a condition where the sufferer’s airways are blocked for short periods of time while sleeping and this interrupts the sleep pattern. If you are noticing signs and symptoms of sleep apnea, you may need to wear an oral appliance at night and explore other treatment options that ensure you are breathing properly while sleeping.

Types of Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common type of sleep apnea and is caused by obstruction of the upper airway. It is characterized by repetitive pauses in breathing during sleep, despite the effort to breathe, and is usually associated with a reduction in blood oxygen saturation. These pauses in breathing, called “apneas” (“without breath”), typically last 20 to 40 seconds.

In central sleep apnea, the airway is not blocked but the brain fails to signal the muscles to breathe. Complex sleep apnea, as the name suggests, is a combination of the two former described conditions.With each apnea event, the brain rouses the sleeper to signal breathing needs to be resumed. In patients with severe sleep apnea this can happen hundreds of times at night, resulting in poor quality of sleep and stress.

How do I know if I’m suffering from sleep apnea?

Only a medical professional can determine if you are suffering from sleep apnea. But you should consider consulting one, if you experience any of the following symptoms:

  • Chronic snoring

  • Headaches or ‘brain fog’ upon rising

  • Memory problems

  • Waking up with a sore or dry throat

  • Waking up choking or gasping for air

  • Daytime sleepiness

  • Insomnia

  • Restless sleep

  • Mood changes

  • Decreased interest in sex

Treatment options

Common treatment options include weight loss, avoiding alcohol and smoking, as well as physical training. Sleep apnea can also be treated with a variety of surgical procedures.

However, the most widely used and most successful treatment for moderate and severe sleep apnea in adults is one or another of the various types of sleep apnea appliances.

Sleep apnea appliances are worn while sleeping to keep your throat and airway open and thus, reduce daytime sleepiness and lower the number of times you pause or stop breathing during your sleep.

There is a variety of sleep apnea appliances and even though you would be able to buy one directly on the internet, you should always check with your doctor or dentist before ordering one, as such device might need some fitting or modification to meet your particular needs.

Should you live or work in Covington, you can rely on the professional advice and services of Dr. Lee from Seattle’s Best Rated Dental Clinic, Covington Smiles. Dr. Lee, who is one of the best dental specialist in Covington would offer you a custom-made oral appliance to eliminate snoring and also as part of a treatment plan for mild to moderate or severe sleep apnea.

Celebrities who suffer from sleep apnea

Sleep apnea is not uncommon among celebrities as well. Famous people who faced that problem include Rick Perry, Shaquille O’Neal, Rosie O’Donnell, Regis Philban, Quincy Jones and Roseanne Barr.

“I felt the difference, honestly, in one night,” shared Rose O’Donnell on the day after she began treatment with a sleep apnea machine. Before she started using the device, she has been waking up more than 200 times a night.

Another celebrity, the basketball legend ‘Shaquille O’Neal underwent a sleep study, and was ultimately diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea. The proposed treatment from his doctors was a CPAP nasal mask to wear in his sleep for life.

“Can I wear it to the club?” he jokes while trying the mask on in the doctor’s office. But all humor aside, he says the device is working — with it, he’s getting plenty of rest at night.

Marc Bostian