Do you suffer from chronic fatigue that affects your ability to concentrate or focus throughout the day? Do you ever suffer from headaches or depression? Do you find yourself waking up multiple times throughout the night? If you’ve ever been accused of snoring by your bed partner, take heed. These symptoms could be the sign of a larger problem such as a sleep disorder known as sleep apnea. If you suspect that you may have sleep apnea in Mount Holly, or have already been diagnosed here’s some information you need to know.
What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a dangerous sleep disorder that causes patients to stop breathing, sometimes multiple times during the night. Sleep apnea is often the cause of symptoms such as loud snoring, chronic fatigue, depression, memory loss, or difficulty concentrating and focusing throughout the day. Besides these debilitating symptoms, if left untreated sleep apnea can also contribute to a number of other serious health concerns including diabetes, headaches, strokes, high blood pressure, depression, and heart failure.
Sleep apnea is typically caused by a blockage to your airway by your tongue or soft tissues. This is what causes the unusually loud snoring that’s associated with this condition.
How is Sleep Apnea Treated?
The first step in managing sleep apnea is proper diagnosis. Many folks aren’t even aware that they have this dangerous and debilitating condition. Talk with your doctor or dental provider about testing for sleep apnea.
After you’ve been diagnosed, The Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, or CPAP machine is typically prescribed for patients with sleep apnea to wear at night while they sleep. This machine however, is a large mask that is often uncomfortable or hard for patients to wear and sleep in. Many patients can’t or won’t wear their CPAP device.
At Mount Holly Family Dentistry, our highly skilled team of dentists specializes in helping patients effectively manage sleep apnea through the use of comfortable oral appliances. By repositioning the jaw with an oral appliance, it moves the tongue away from the back of the throat and opens up the airway during sleep.
Every case of sleep apnea is unique, and will require your doctor and dentist to work together closely to ensure that your treatment is effective. The doctors at Mount Holly Family Dentistry have advanced training and many years of experience in helping patients with sleep apnea, and they would love to help you. If you suspect you may have sleep apnea, or you’ve been diagnosed, contact our office today to learn more about how we can help you.