While you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who feels 100% rested all of the time, getting enough sleep is crucial to your overall health and wellbeing. An occasional bad night of sleep is common. However, if you’re consistently waking up feeling groggy, if you’re tossing and turning a great deal, or if your partner is complaining that you keep him or her awake by snoring, you could have a more serious condition called sleep apnea. While the condition could be serious, treatment can be found with a trusted dentist. Dr. Jamil Alkhoury of the TMJ & Sleep Therapy Centre of San Francisco has helped countless patients manage their sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is a medical problem that can cause you to frequently stop breathing during your sleep. Patients with sleep apnea stop breathing up to 90 times each hour, for 10 seconds or more each time. The condition can affect anyone; however, it is more common in men, individuals who are overweight, and those who are 40 years of age or older. Sleep apnea is serious. The restriction of oxygen from the brain can cause heart failure, stroke, or hypertension.
Sleep apnea can only be diagnosed through a sleep study, but there are several common signs including snoring, waking up gasping for air, having a dry throat, experiencing frequent morning headaches and forgetfulness, and never feeling fully rested.
While you may feel compelled to call your doctor, often your dentist can help you treat sleep apnea. Working in conjunction with a physician, the dentist will first confirm that sleep apnea is the cause. Then they will determine if your sleep apnea is caused by a blocked airway. Once your condition and the cause is confirmed, your dentist can talk with you about using a small, non-invasive mouthpiece while you sleep. This is an alternative to the Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine, which fits over the patient’s mouth and nose, and is often prescribed for sleep apnea patients. While the CPAP machine can inhibit sleep because of noise or discomfort caused by wearing it, the oral appliance is much more comfortable and therefore patients are less likely to get frustrated and more likely to use it.
To learn more about treating sleep apnea, call the TMJ & Sleep Therapy Centre of San Francisco at 415-226-7274.
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