SLEEP APNEA

Most of us don’t think of snoring as something to be overly concerned about – unless our bed partner is disrupting our sleep! But frequent, loud snoring may be sign of sleep apnea, a common and potentially serious disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts as you sleep.

Although sleep apnea is treatable, it often goes unrecognized. Untreated sleep apnea can be dangerous and detrimental to your health, so it’s important to see a doctor if you suspect that you or a loved one might have it.

What is sleep apnea?

Sleep apnea affects the way you breathe when you’re sleeping. In untreated sleep apnea, breathing is briefly interrupted or becomes very shallow during sleep. These breathing pauses typically last between 10 to 20 seconds and can occur up to hundreds of times a night.

Untreated sleep apnea prevents you from getting a good night’s sleep. When breathing is paused, you’re jolted out of your natural sleep rhythm. As a consequence, you spend more time in light sleep and less time in the deep, restorative sleep you need to be energetic, mentally sharp, and productive the next day.

This chronic sleep deprivation results in daytime sleepiness, slow reflexes, poor concentration, and an increased risk of accidents. Sleep apnea can also lead to serious health problems over time, including diabetes, high blood pressure, heat disease, stroke, and weight gain, But with treatment, you can control the symptoms, get your sleep back on track, and start enjoying what it’s like to be refreshed and alert every day.

It can be rough to identify sleep apnea on your own, since the most prominent symptoms only occur when you’re asleep. But you can get around this difficulty by asking a bed partner to observe your sleep habits or recording yourself during sleep.

Major signs and symptoms of sleep apnea

* Loud and chronic snoring
*  Choking, snorting, or gasping during sleep
*  Long pauses in breathing
*  Daytime sleepiness, no matter how much time you spend in bed
Is it just snoring or is it sleep apnea?

Not everyone who snores has sleep apnea, and not everyone who has sleep apnea snores. So how do you tell the difference between garden variety snoring and a more serious case of sleep apnea?

The biggest telltale sign is how you feel during the day. Normal snoring doesn’t interfere with the quality of your sleep as much as sleep apnea does, so you’re less likely to suffer from extreme fatigue and sleepiness during the day.

Dental devices for sleep apnea

If you’ve tried CPAP and self-help tips and your sleep apnea persists, you may benefit from a dental device or surgical treatment. Most dental devices are acrylic and fit inside your mouth, much like an athletic mouth guard. Others fit around your head and chin to adjust the position of your lower jaw. Two common oral devices are the mandibular repositioning device and the tongue retaining device. These devices open your airway by bringing your lower jaw or your tongue forward during sleep.

It is very important to get fitted by a dentist specializing in sleep apnea, and to see the dentist on a regular basis for any dental problems that may occur. You may also need to periodically have your dentist adjust the mouthpiece to fit better.

Dental devices seem to offer the following benefits:

*  Significant reduction in apneas for those with mild-to-moderate apnea, particularly if patients sleep either on their backs or stomachs. They do not work well if patients lie on their side. The devices may also improve airflow for some patients with severe apnea.
*  Improvement in sleep in many patients.
*  Improvement and reduction in the frequency of snoring and loudness of snoring in most (but not all) patients.
*  Higher compliance rates that with CPAP.