Do you have difficulty staying asleep or tend to snore loudly? You may have sleep apnea, a condition that causes you to stop breathing while you sleep. More than 18 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea, but only 20 percent of them have been diagnosed.
Sleep apnea is a serious condition that can lead to health problems like high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. So if you think you have sleep apnea, it’s important to see a doctor or dentist right away to get a diagnosis and treatment.
In this article, we’ll explain the symptoms of sleep apnea and how to get a diagnosis and treatment from a sleep apnea dentist in San Antonio, Tx.
What Is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder that occurs when a person’s breathing is interrupted during sleep. People with sleep apnea often snore loudly and feel tired even after a full night’s sleep.
There are two types of Sleep apnea:
- Obstructive sleep apnea is a more common type that occurs when throat muscles relax causing the airway to get blacked physically.
- Central sleep apnea occurs when the brain doesn’t send proper signals to the muscles that control breathing causing the patient to stop breathing in sleep.
In both cases, the person wakes up frequently during sleep due to a lack of oxygen. This may occur several times within an hour. So the person is usually left sleep-deprived, which directly affects their behavior and energy levels during the day.
While the exact cause of sleep apnea is known, several factors increase the risk of sleep apnea.
These include-
- Obesity
- Enlarge tonsils or adenoid glands
- Excessive smoking
- Narrow airways
- Nasal congestions
- Large, thick necks
- Medical conditions like congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, Polycystic ovarian syndrome, asthma, Parkinson’s disease, and other chronic lung and heart diseases.
The Symptoms Of Sleep Apnea
While every patient with sleep apnea shows different symptoms, here are some common symptoms usually seen in the patients. If you have noticed one or more of the symptoms, there is a chance you could have sleep apnea as well.
- Loud snoring
- Waking up breathless in sleep
- Making gasping sounds during sleep
- Waking up in the morning with a dry mouth
- Having headaches
- Having difficulty staying asleep all night
- Feeling sleepy throughout the day
- Having Difficulty concentrating
- Feeling Irritated all the time.
Diagnosing Sleep Apnea
A person with sleep apnea will likely show one or more of the symptoms, loud during being the most common one. However, in some cases, snoring is not a symptom.
If you think you might have sleep apnea, you must see a doctor or dentist for a diagnosis. A doctor or dentist can do a physical examination, carry out tests and evaluate your symptoms to give you the right diagnosis. The most common test used for diagnosing sleep apnea is a sleep test.
During the test, the patient is hooked up to a machine that monitors their heart rate, breathing patterns, etc. during sleep to spot any anomaly. Based on the cause of sleep apnea, further evaluation may be required by another specialist to decide the treatment plan.
Treating Sleep Apnea
There is no cure for sleep apnea yet. But the good news is that sleep apnea symptoms can be treated. One of the most effective treatments is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), a machine that delivers air through a mask. The pressure keeps the airways open during sleep allowing continuous breathing.
It is a gold standard of sleep apnea treatment but some people find it uncomfortable. There are other ways to treat sleep apnea that can be used.
A custom oral appliance usually helps keep the throat muscles from collapsing and thus can help treat obstructive sleep apnea. If obesity is identified as a potential cause, losing extra weight can help treat the symptoms.
Sleep apnea among children caused by enlarged tonsils can also be treated by removing tonsils.
Living With Sleep Apnea
If left untreated, sleep apnea could lead to further complications like daytime fatigue, heart problems, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, insomnia, and more. In some cases, untreated sleep apnea may even result in death if the airways stay closed for too long.
So if you think you have sleep apnea based on the symptoms listed above, it is best to seek professional advice to initiate treatment right away.
Stoen Oaks Aesthetics has some of the best cosmetic dentists in San Antonio, Tx to help you with sleep apnea treatment. They will work with a team of sleep specialists to create a customized plan for each patient. They can provide both a CPAP treatment and an oral appliance based on the patient’s needs and preferences. So if you live in San Antonio, call up Stone Oaks Aesthetics or visit their website to schedule an appointment with their sleep dentists right away.
