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Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a potentially life-threatening sleep disorder characterized by repeated pauses in breathing during sleep. The term sleep apnea is derived from the Greek etymology meaning “without breath”. Breathing pauses can last anywhere from several seconds to minutes, and happen as often as 30 times or more per hour. Ongoing disrupted breathing causes an imbalance between the carbon dioxide and oxygen levels in the bloodstream, as not enough carbon dioxide is exiting, and not enough oxygen is entering the body.

Sensing this imbalance, the brain sends a message to the body, telling it to wake up to restart the breathing process. People with sleep apnea will partially awake as they struggle to breathe, and this is often accompanied by loud snoring or choking sensations. Because people with sleep apnea don’t always completely awake during the episodes, they are often unaware they have a sleeping disorder and it can remain undiagnosed.
There are two main types of this disorder; central sleep apnea which occurs when the brain fails to send important signals to the breathing muscles, and obstructive sleep apnea which occurs when air cannot flow through the nose or mouth even though the body is still trying to breathe. Obstructive sleep apnea is far more prevalent and easily treatable by the dentist.

Signs & Symptoms: Severe early morning headaches, daytime sleepiness, insomnia, Loud Snoring, Gasping for Air during sleep, Awakening with Dry Mouth, Cognitive dysfunction, Irritability.

What causes obstructive sleep apnea?

  • Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the soft tissue lying at the back of the patient’s throat collapses into the airway. The tongue then falls towards the back of the throat, which tightens the blockage and prevents oxygen from entering the lungs, therefore, decreased the amount of oxygen in your blood briefly.
  • Enlarged tonsils and tissues in the nose, mouth, or throat will press down on the airway, narrowing it when lying down asleep.
  • Weight gain, Fat in the neck area can press down on the tissues around the airways. This narrows the airways and can cause sleep apnea.
  • Medicines such as sleeping pills and sedatives can relax the muscles and tissues in the throat, causing it to narrow.
  • Alcohol affects the part of the brain that controls breathing. This may relax the breathing muscles and cause narrowing of the airway.
  • Sleeping on your back and using one or more pillows may make sleep apnea worse.

Treatment

Treatments include use of oral appliances, oropharyngeal exercises (OralMyofunctional Therapy & Speech Therapy), nutritional therapy (Such as Vit B, D), and behavioral measures, including weight loss when indicated, frequent physical exercise, avoidance of alcohol and sedative medication before bedtime, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP).

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