What Is the Most Effective Treatment for Sleep Apnea?
Did you know that a sleeping disorder can tamper with your entire general health? Good quality sleep is paramount for optimal productivity and the functioning of your body. If you want to improve the quality of your life, you cannot downplay the role of a good night’s sleep, even if it means seeking treatment for sleep apnea.
What Is Sleep Apnea?
At Harmony Dental Care, we define sleep apnea as a sleeping condition influenced by your respiratory system. Sleep apnea features difficulty sleeping properly throughout the night due to inadequate breathing. The condition occurs when there is an obstruction preventing proper breathing. As such, you repeatedly stop breathing for a few seconds or minutes when you sleep. The longer you stop breathing, the more fatal your condition becomes.
The condition occurs when something obstructs your airways enough to disrupt normal breathing. When this happens, your brain automatically rouses your body to signal the inability to breathe. It is what keeps you waking up repeatedly at night.
Although sleep apnea is a sleeping condition featuring problems in your respiratory system, it can be diagnosed and treated by a dentist. When you visit our offices for a dental exam, your attending dentist can detect anomalies in your throat area that may result in poor quality sleep.
How Do You Know You Have Sleep Apnea?
The majority of the time, patients find out about their condition after visiting a medical expert. A diagnosis is the only sure way to ascertain that you have sleep apnea. However, even before you visit a dentist near you, you can know you need sleep apnea treatment in Oshawa, ON, by considering the following sleep apnea symptoms:
- Excessive daytime sleepiness (hypersomnia) – since you do not sleep properly at night.
- Repeatedly gasping for air in your sleep.
- Loud snoring – sufficient to disrupt your bed partner.
- Morning headaches – right after you wake up.
- Dry mouth – since you need to keep your mouth open to breathe well at night.
- Irritability and mood swings.
- Difficulty sleeping at night is also called insomnia.
- Concentration problems during the day.
How Can You Treat Sleep Apnea?
Unfortunately, there is no particular sleep apnea cure. There are only treatment measures that can help you breathe better at night, improving the quality of your sleep. The effectiveness of each treatment option depends on the severity of your sleep apnea. Advanced sleep apnea cases merit drastic treatment options. Some available treatments for sleep apnea are:
- Changing your sleeping position – as simple as this recommendation might be, it will influence your breathability at night. Doctors recommend sleeping on your side instead of your back if you suffer from sleep apnea.
- Losing weight – overweight and obese patients have a high risk of getting sleep apnea. If you maintain a healthy weight, you may alleviate some of the symptoms of sleep apnea.
- Oral appliance – Dentists customize night guards for sleep apnea patients to help keep their jaws open when they sleep. This way, you do not have to gasp for air repeatedly during the night.
- Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) – is one of the most reliable methods of treating sleep apnea. It entails wearing a special mask over your nose that delivers air pressure while you sleep.
- Surgery – sometimes, the most effective treatment entails surgery. Surgeons will perform this procedure after unsuccessful outcomes with all other approaches. The surgeries will focus on tissue removal or shrinkage to reduce the obstruction of the airway.
Should You Seek Treatment?
Sleep apnea treatment is paramount for excellent health. If you suspect to have symptoms similar to sleep apnea, do not hesitate to visit a doctor near you. You should not have to end up in an ER for a sleeping disorder than can be managed in its early stages. Unfortunately, many patients leave their sleep apnea untreated for a long time. While you may not have severe symptoms to alarm you, it is critical if you leave the problem untreated. Severe sleep apnea can cause life-threatening health issues including:
- Arrhythmias
- High blood pressure
- Type II diabetes
- Strokes
- Heart diseases
- Vision problems