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What is Sleep
Apnea? Click
here to download our Sleep Apnea Quiz!
Sleep
apnea is a condition that is far more common than generally understood
and afflicts several million people in North America. First described
in 1965, sleep apnea is a breathing disorder characterized by brief
interruptions of breathing during sleep. It owes its name to a
Greek word, "apnea", meaning "want of breath." There are
two types of sleep apnea:
The most
common form is "obstructive sleep apnea", or OSA as it is often
called. The cause of OSA is similar to that of snoring. When the airway becomes
constricted enough, breathing will stop and oxygen will be blocked from
the lungs. Each time breathing is blocked, oxygen in the
bloodstream falls and the heart must work harder to circulate
blood. Blood pressure rises and the heart may beat irregularly or
even stop.
Signs of
Sleep Apnea Include:
- Choking or the stop of
breathing during sleep
- Excessive daytime
sleepiness
- Morning headaches
- Irresistible urge to nap
or sleep during the day
- Limbs jerk during sleep
- Waking up tired or thirsty
- Snoring
Physical or
Mechanical Therapy:
Dental
appliances that reposition the lower jaw and the tongue have been very
helpful to some patients with mild to moderate sleep apnea or who snore
but do not have apnea. Possible side effects include damage to
teeth, soft tissues, and the jaw joint. A dentist or orthodontist
is often the one to fit the patient with such a device.
Night
Guards:
A
night-guard or 'splint' can be made by your dentist. This is a
piece of plastic that fits over your teeth (usually the top teeth)
which is worn to bed so that you grind on the plastic; not your
teeth. In some patients, this seems to have a self-regulatory
effect which stops the habit altogether. Perhaps this is because you
achieve less satisfaction when trying to grind on this smooth piece of
hard plastic.
Quick Facts About
Sleep Apnea:
- 98.5% of snorers
exhibit apnic tendencies.
- Hypertension is
present during wakefulness in approximately 50% of people with sleep
apnea.
- Over long periods,
sleep apnea results in intellectual and memory deterioration.
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