What is a Serious Sleep Disorder

Sleep Apnea Lancaster

Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder which occurs when a person’s breathing is interrupted or inconsistent: there is an involuntary pause in breathing. People with undiagnosed and untreated sleep apnea stop repeatedly breathing during their sleep causing a serious deficit of oxygen in the brain and the body at large.

It is a potentially fatal disorder as it predisposes one to daytime fatigue that may lead to accidents, high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes, abnormal heartbeats, Type 2 Diabetes, metabolic syndrome, liver problems and sleep deprivation.

Lancaster Dental Care Associates provide sleep apnea Lancaster treatments to solve this.

Common symptoms of sleep apnea

• Loud snoring (though not everybody who snores has sleep apnea)
• Hypersomnia (excessive daytime sleepiness)
• Insomnia (difficulty falling or staying asleep)
• Gasping for air during sleep
• Awakening with a cottonmouth (dry mouth)
• Morning headache
• Reports by people in which the patient has episodes where they stop breathing during their sleep

Am I at risk for Sleep Apnea?

Sleep Apnea affects anyone including children. However, some risk factors for sleep apnea include:

• Being male
• Being overweight/ obese as fat molecules may block the airway.
• Menopause
• Having large tonsils, a small jaw bone or a long tongue.
• Having a family history of sleep apnea
• Nasal obstruction due to sinus problems, allergies, trauma or injury to the nose.

Diagnosis and Treatment of sleep apnea

Diagnosis

Sleep apnea is usually diagnosed using a sleep study (Nocturnal Polysomnography) at Lancaster Dental Health Care Associates. This is carried out in an overnight sleep laboratory experiment that records brain waves, eye and leg movements, airflow, oxygen levels, and heart rhythm during ones sleep. The doctor then interprets the tests to determine the severity of the patient’s sleep apnea.

Treatment

Doctors at Lancaster Dental Care Associates use different methods of treatment to normalize breathing during sleep for the patient depending on the causes and severity of ones sleep apnea. Treatment options offered include:

• Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy: this is the most common method of treatment for sleep apnea. Air is pushed gently through a mask to keep the airway open during sleep by maintaining a constant flow of positive pressure through the mask.
• Surgery: surgery may be performed to reduce enlarged tonsils, remove excess tissue and stiffen or shrink tissue obstructing the airway.
• Mandibular Repositioning Device (MRD): this is commonly used for patients suffering from mild to moderate sleep apnea. It is a mouthpiece that holds the jaw in an extended forward position during sleep to make more room behind the tongue, keeping the airway open.

Good, peaceful sleep with normalized breathing is important to keep an individual running as it eliminates daytime fatigue and prevents cardiovascular changes due to the excessive strain caused by improper breathing. Lancaster dental Care Associates is committed to helping you manage or eradicate sleep apnea from your lives and those of your loved ones.

Every patient is accorded quality and professional healthcare by qualified doctors who have specialized in treatment and management of sleep apnea. Stay alive; keep breathing! Visit us at Lancaster Dental Care Associates for consultation, diagnosis and the best sleep apnea Lancaster treatment options.