The Main Types of Sleep Apnea and the Causes
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea- this is the most common form that occurs when your throat muscles relax. When the muscles relax the airway narrows lowering the oxygen level in your blood. Your brain senses the inability and rouses you from your sleep. This pattern can happen five to 30 time each and every hour impairing the deep restful sleep your body needs.
- Central Sleep Apnea-this type occurs when your brain doesn’t send the correct signals to the muscles that physically control your breathing. For a short period of time you simply do not make an effort to breath.
- Complex Sleep Apnea Syndrome-This is basically a combination of the other previous types. It can also be called treatment-emergent central sleep apnea.
The Risks if your Sleep Apnea is left Untreated
- You can find yourself in an accident, either driving or work related.
- Excessive daytime sleepiness and fatigue is dangerous in so many ways.
- You can increase the possibility of having a stroke.
- Your blood pressure can rise which is detrimental to your overall health.
- You can put on weight.
- Depression is a common result of sleep apnea.
- You might find yourself having memory loss and find it difficult to concentrate.
- Morning headaches and irritability are both very common.
- Your sex drive will decrease.
The Sleep Apnea Evaluation Procedure
The staff at Bourbonnias Family Dental will conduct a comprehensive clinical evaluation which might include one of two different studies. These will document your oxygen level, breathing rate, heart rate and eye movements. We will then examine your airway, the tongue, your teeth and jaws and make impressions of your teeth to submit to a dental lab. There are several different treatments today such as an oral appliance, a CPAP machine, medicines,
nasal dilators and finally surgery.
With the impression we sent to the lab we will first want to recommend an oral appliance. These are quiet, comfortable, very easy to wear, portable and also easy to take care of. The custom-made oral appliance is worn in the mouth during sleep. It maintains the lower jaw in a forward position stabilizing the tongue and lower jaw making room for the air to enter easier and often totally eliminating mild sleep apnea. If the appliance is working properly you should immediately feel free of the symptoms of sleep apnea and have a dramatic improvement in your quality of life. You will be reenergized, and you will feel sharp again during the day. The next solution if the appliance is not enough is to fit you with a CPAP, or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machine. This mask worn at night is a safe and elective treatment for sleep apnea delivering a mild air pressure all night. This pressure keeps the airway open. The drawbacks are the comfort of the mask, the noise of the machine and the machine itself is inconvenient for traveling. Sleep apnea happens more frequently if you are overweight so you might find yourself in a lifestyle change scenario. You may need to lose weight, quit smoking, avoid alcohol or even some medicines. Surgery is always an option to widen the breathing passage, remove the tonsils, shrink the excess tissue or remove the excessive tissue.
Quick Contact
Bourbonnais Family Dental
Scheduling your Sleep Apnea Evaluation today
Making that phone call today to schedule your evaluation and consultation is the next step. We can determine if you can benefit from sleeping with an oral appliance or a CPAP machine. Call 815-939-2520 now or visit our office at 498 Brown Blvd., Bourbonnias, IL 60914. The staff at Bourbonnias Family Dental all are terrific listeners and love to please our patients. You’ll be comfortable in our engaging environment. We are all dedicated to ensuring that you totally understand our plan that we have formulated together and that you will be confident that you will be receiving the highest quality specialized dental care to meet your individual needs. Our gratification is helping you get a good night’s sleep and restoring a respectable quality of life.