Obstructive sleep apnea is a common breathing problem when sleeping in which your sleep is repeatedly interrupted by abnormal breathing. In sleep apnea, breathing is interrupted when the airway is blocked, preventing airflow. These interruptions last for longer than 10 seconds and happen at least 5 times an hour throughout your sleep period.
Common Signs and Symptoms You Should Never Ignore     Â
During the night, obstructive sleep apnea symptoms include:
- Snoring loudly.
- Pauses in breathing during sleep, typically observed by a companion.
- Waking up in the middle of the night and choking or gasping.
- Urinating frequently.
During the day, obstructive sleep apnea symptoms include:
- Excessive drowsiness during the day.
- Having a painful throat or dry mouth when you wake up.
- Headaches in the morning.
- Difficulty concentrating.
- Mood swings, including melancholy or easy agitation.
- High blood pressure, particularly if you’re using many medications to control it.
- Diminished desire for sex.
What Causes Obstructive Sleep Apnea?     Â
You may develop obstructive sleep apnea, a common breathing problem when sleeping, when the muscles at the back of your throat relax excessively and prevent you from breathing normally. These muscles support the soft palate, the back of the roof of the mouth. Additionally, the muscles support the neck’s side walls and the tongue.
As you breathe in, the muscles relax, causing the airway to constrict or close. This may increase carbon dioxide levels and decrease blood oxygen levels. To restore your airway, your brain detects the breathing pause and momentarily awakens you. If you are wondering how to get rid of sleep apnea, it is important to pay attention to symptoms that occur during the night.
Why Untreated Sleep Apnea can Affect more than Your Sleep        Â
If you have untreated sleep apnea, a common breathing problem when sleeping, your body and brain may continue to be deprived of oxygen throughout the night for the rest of your life. The breathing halt must last for at least 10 seconds to be classified as an apnea. Those 10-second-or-longer pauses occur at least 5 times per hour if you have sleep apnea.
On the other hand, you might have many more apneas that last much longer. Your blood’s oxygen content decreases with each apnea. This indicates that your organs don’t receive enough oxygen to properly eliminate old cells, fix damaged cells, and create new ones.
How Obstructive Sleep Apnea is Diagnosed
A medical expert evaluates your condition using your symptoms, a physical examination, and diagnostic tests to determine whether you have a breathing problem when sleeping, such as obstructive sleep apnea. For additional assessment, you can be referred to a sleep specialist. A physical examination includes a look at your mouth, nose, and back of your throat. You might also have your blood pressure measured. A sleep specialist can determine the severity of your sleep apnea.
The assessment may require spending the night at a sleep facility. While you sleep, the sleep center monitors your breathing and other bodily processes. Alternatively, you could get a sleep apnea test at home. If you are looking for guidance and treatment options from the best dentist in Cedar Park, a dental professional experienced in sleep-related breathing disorders can help evaluate your condition and discuss oral appliance therapy as a possible treatment option.
Treatment Options for Obstructive Sleep ApneaÂ
CPAP Therapy
The most popular and well-understood sleep apnea treatment is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, which uses a mask that covers your mouth and/or nose and is connected to a device that delivers a continuous flow of air. This constant airflow to your airway helps avoid the breathing pauses and interruptions that sleep apnea can produce during the night. CPAP helps you breathe during the night, allowing you to wake up feeling rested and rejuvenated.
Additional Devices for Airway Pressure
CPAP may be difficult for some people to adjust to. In similar situations, auto-adjusting positive airway pressure (APAP) therapy adjusts the amount of air supplied according to the patient’s requirements. It applies only the pressure required at any given time. A version of CPAP provides varying pressure levels during inhalation and exhalation.
Changes in Lifestyle
If you are wondering can OSA be cured, lifestyle changes may help improve your condition. To help alleviate your sleep apnea symptoms, your doctor can advise you to reduce your alcohol intake, give up smoking, or lose weight.
Oral Appliance Treatment
A mandibular repositioning device (MRD), also known as an oral appliance, keeps your lower jaw forward as you sleep. To help maintain an open airway and reduce palate vibration, a portion of the device widens the area below the tongue and applies pressure to the throat walls.
Surgery
Although it’s not usually the first-line sleep apnea treatment, there are surgical options. In the United States, uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) is the most popular procedure for OSA. To clear the upper airway, doctors remove excess tissue from the throat during this treatment.
Other less common surgical procedures include somnoplasty, which uses radiofrequency to reduce tissue in the upper airway; jaw surgery to realign the jaw; tonsil or adenoid removal; and nasal surgery to correct a crooked or deviated septum.
When Should You See a Sleep Apnea Dentist?    Â
- When the person is constantly exhausted
- Every night as the person gasps for air
- When there are persistent headaches and persistent snoring
Sleep Better, Live Healthier with Reveal Dental
As many people are unaware they have obstructive sleep apnea until major health issues start to manifest, the condition is frequently referred to as a silent sleep disorder. Through individualized assessments and cutting-edge sleep apnea treatment options, we at Reveal Dental are dedicated to helping patients identify and manage sleep-related respiratory difficulties. Our caring staff collaborates closely with you to develop a strategy to improve health and sleep. Make an appointment with Reveal Dental and start on the path to safer, more peaceful sleep by paying attention to warning signs
Sources:
https://isdhealthsolutions.com/blog/obstructive-sleep-apnea
https://apollodiagnostics.in/blogs/the-silent-epidemic-how-sleep-apnea-affects-your-health-356
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/8718-sleep-apnea
Submitted by Dr. Alkesh C. Sura
Dr. Alkesh C. Sura is the founder and lead dentist at Reveal Dental in Cedar Park, Texas. A North Carolina native, Dr. Sura earned both his Bachelor of Science in Public Health and Doctor of Dental Surgery degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
