Sleep Apnea Sleep apnea is a serious condition that many of our patients suffer through each day. Without the proper treatment, sleep apnea may start to cause big issues in your overall health. Without the proper oxygen, and with frequent awakening at night, it is hard to get the sleep you need. At Capital Dental Center, we can provide you with some possible treatments for your obstructive sleep apnea.What Is Sleep Apnea?Sleep apnea is a severe sleep disorder that can make it difficult to sleep well and may cause other health disorders. It can cause the person to stop breathing repeatedly while sleeping. When sleep apnea occurs, some of the muscles of your airway will relax while you are asleep. This will sometimes cause the airways to get blocked off, so the body is not able to get enough air. The breathing may stop for ten seconds or longer until the reflexes naturally restart the breathing process. A patient has sleep apnea if they stop breathing and then start again more than thirty times in an hour. However, any time the patient stops breathing at night, there may be a potential problem. What Are the Symptoms of Sleep Apnea?Some patients may notice that sleep apnea is happening if they start waking up short of breath and from not breathing. However, it is often their bed partner who will notice this issue first. For example, you may notice that your partner snores really loud or, if you are awake when they fall asleep, you may notice there are times when the person with sleep apnea stops breathing altogether. There are some symptoms that both the person with sleep apnea and their partner may notice. For example, they may wake up abruptly from sleep, along with some gasping and choking. They may have a decreased libido, irritability, and mood changes from not sleeping well, and lots of nighttime sweating. What Are the Treatments?There are many different treatments that a patient may choose with our professionals, including a CPAP machine to open the airways. Surgery is also an option we may consider in certain situations. These options are more advanced and can help when sleep apnea has taken over your life and other options are not helping to alleviate the problem. In our office, we have been able to provide relief from sleep apnea to our patients. We can help create a mouthpiece or oral device, suited specifically to your mouth, to keep the jaw and throat open while you are sleeping. This can help make sure the muscles do not get in the way of your breathing and makes it easier for you to get a good nights' sleep. Sleep apnea is a big issue that many of our patients suffer from. The constant snoring, the lack of oxygen while asleep, and the poor sleep quality can be very disruptive to our patients, especially if this condition is left untreated. If you would like to learn more about the different sleep treatments for your sleep apnea, call or text Capital Dental Center at 202-978-8778 today. |
Capital Dental Center
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