According to Denver dentist Dr. Kemmet, Sleep apnea is a common disorder that affects millions of men, women and children but is often undiagnosed. There are three types of apnea: obstructive, central, and mixed. Out of the three, Savannah dentist says that obstructive is the most widespread. Regardless of the differences in the root cause of each type, in all three, people with untreated sleep apnea will stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times during the night and often for a minute or even longer. Some Symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)

• Severe snoring. Most people with obstructive apnea are likely to snore between episodes. Of course, not everyone who snores has OSA, but severe snoring combined with one or more of the following symptoms is a good suggestion that that person should see their physician and request a sleep study.

• Dry, sore throat and nasal passages in the morning upon awakening. A look in the mirror may expose a swollen and red uvula.

• Multiple sudden awakenings during sleep. When a person ceases to breathe during sleep, they may wake up, often with a gasp, several times during the night. This may happen literally hundreds of times a night, or perhaps just a few dozen. Not everyone with severe OSA experiences sudden awakenings since many sufferers are simply brought to a lighter level of sleep in which they regain the muscle tone in their throat so that breathing may begin properly again.

• Excessive daytime sleepiness. (hypersomnia) Even if a person with sleep apnea does not completely awaken many times a night, he or she must continuously rise to a lighter level of sleep in order to regain enough control of the throat muscles to relieve the obstruction. This severely reduces the quality of the sleep. Patients with OSA often complain of waking up feeling like they had never slept at all. They often feel worse after taking a nap than they did before napping.

• Restless muscles during sleep. A lack of oxygen in the blood causes muscles to become restless. Persons who suffer with sleep apnea often find their legs in nearly continuous motion during the night, or they may notice themselves kicking during the night.

• Impotence, and/or decreased interest in sex. Sleep apnea has wide ranging physiological and psychological effects, including high blood pressure, slowed heart rate, changes in appetite and diminished sexual arousal.

• Difficulty staying asleep (insomnia)

• Impaired memory

• Impaired concentration

• Poor job performance

• Sudden death from heart attack or stroke.

How does the doctor determine if I have Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

According to Seattle dentist Dr. Coleman, most doctors give a sleep test, called polysomnography. It is usually done to diagnose sleep apnea. There are two kinds of polysomnograms. An overnight polysomnography test involves monitoring brain waves, muscle tension, eye movement, respiration, oxygen level in the blood and audio monitoring. (for snoring, gasping, etc.) The second kind of polysomnography test is a home monitoring test. A Sleep Technologist hooks you up to all the electrodes and instructs you on how to record your sleep with a computerized polysomnograph that you take home and return in the morning. They are painless tests that are usually covered by insurance.

How is Sleep Apnea treated?

Mild Sleep Apnea is usually treated by some behavioral changes. Losing weight, sleeping on your side are often recommended. There are oral mouth devices (that help keep the airway open) on the market that may help to reduce snoring in three different ways. Some devices (1) bring the jaw forward or (2) elevate the soft palate or (3) retain the tongue (from falling back in the airway and blocking breathing).

Sleep Apnea is a progressive condition says Scotts Valley dentist Dr. Ebrahimian, it gets worse as you age and should not be taken lightly.

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