what is sleep apnea

Sleep Apnea Myths: What’s The Real Deal?

By on March 29, 2016

If you’ve ever slept next to snorer you know how unpleasant it can be. If you’ve never slept next to a snorer then we have bad news: it’s probably you!

All joking aside, chronic snoring is a serious problem that you should be worried about. If you habitually and loudly snore there’s a good possibility you’re suffering from sleep apnea, a serious condition that causes your breathing to stop while you sleep. These episodes are called apneas, and can occur multiple times a night.

We see a lot of sleep apnea patients at Really Smile Dentistry, and many of them are confused about what sleep apnea is. There’s plenty of bad information out there about this horrible condition, and we want to take the time to give you the facts about it before you end up doing yourself serious harm!

Myth: Sleep Apnea Only Happens To Overweight People

Let’s make one thing very clear: sleep apnea is a condition that definitely affects far more obese people than those at a healthy weight. It doesn’t mean that it can’t affect people who are completely healthy, though!

Plenty of healthy people suffer from sleep apnea because the cause is simply airway blockage. Apneic episodes can happen because of excess tissue surrounding your airway, be it fat or muscle tissue. You can also suffer from the condition if you smoke, drink excessively, suffer from diabetes, or a variety of other health conditions. Don’t think that just because you’re in shape you can’t develop sleep apnea!

Myth: Sleep Apnea Is Annoying, But Doesn’t Have Many Serious Risks

We hear this one a lot – many patients assume that sleep apnea only causes obnoxious snoring and maybe some daytime fatigue if your sleep gets interrupted. Not true at all!

Sleep apnea patients suffer from a number of health conditions and increased risks. If you have sleep apnea you are far more likely to have a heart attack, hypertension, stroke, a fatigue-related accident at work, home, or on the road, and many other conditions.

Sleep apnea disturbs your body’s ability to regulate oxygen flow and puts serious strain on your heart. The damage it causes is cumulative, so your risks only increase over time!

Myth: If You Snore You Have Sleep Apnea

Does everyone with a headache suffer from migraines? No, and it’s the same for sleep apnea: snoring is a symptom that indicates there may be a problem – it isn’t a diagnosis by itself. In order to determine if you have sleep apnea you have to go through a sleep test that monitors your breathing, heart rate, and other biological signs. A single night of data is enough to tell whether or not you have a problem.

Occasional snoring, even loudly, isn’t a definite sign of sleep apnea, but it can serve as a warning. If you are regularly told about your loud, constant snoring it’s probably a good idea to think about a sleep apnea test!

Myth: The Only Treatment For Sleep Apnea Is A CPAP Machine

CPAP, or continuous positive airway pressure, is a tried and true solution for sleep apnea patients. Many people don’t like wearing a face mask that forces pressurized air down their windpipes while they sleep, however, and it’s completely understandable!

While CPAP machines are almost guaranteed to work they aren’t the only solution. We’re proud to be able to offer less invasive oral appliances for sleep apnea at our Carmel office. These easy-to-wear mouthpieces can alleviate snoring and sleep apnea so that you get a restful AND quiet night of sleep.

Once we know for sure that you suffer from sleep apnea we can recommend a variety of oral appliances to treat you. We custom build your oral appliance from an impression of your mouth, making them fit perfectly, comfortably, and easily.

If you’ve tried CPAP treatment in the past, feel it wouldn’t be right for you, or would prefer a simpler alternative then oral appliance therapy is a great choice. We’d be happy to help you put an end to your sleep apnea symptoms and the risk they pose, so don’t hesitate to start on the road to relief today!

Sleep Well The Easy Way

Our Carmel dental team has the perfect appliances to help relieve your snoring and sleep apnea. All it takes to get permanent relief is a call to our office today – we look forward to hearing from you!

Schedule a sleep apnea consultation by calling Really Smile Dentistry at 317-597-8748 or by requesting an appointment online. We’ll see you soon!

Sleep Apnea: Know Your Risk Factors

By on February 29, 2016

There are times in life where we all snore. No one is immune from sawing logs in their sleep, but some of us are using a chainsaw, and using it all night! If you’re a chronic snorer, or sleep next to someone who is, you know how bad it can be. Whether you’re doing the elbowing or getting elbowed snoring disturbs sleep!

Snoring isn’t always just a result of sleeping on your back – it could indicate a more serious condition called sleep apnea. It’s important to know if you’re at risk for sleep apnea because of how many negative effects it can have on your long term health. We treat sleep apnea at our Carmel office, but we also know that identifying it and making the initial diagnosis is the hardest part. If you’re a chronic snorer who falls into some of these other categories you might be suffering from sleep apnea!

What Is Sleep Apnea?

When you snore it’s because there is a slight restriction to your airway. Your muscles and soft tissue all relax when you sleep, and when they do it can cause partial collapse of your windpipe, causing the loud rattling you hear when snoring.

When your airway becomes completely blocked you can simply stop breathing. These interruptions in your breath are known as apneas, and can occur dozens of times a night. Over time sleep apnea can cause high blood pressure, daytime fatigue, depression, trouble focusing, mood swings, and even heart disease. It’s an important thing to treat!

Sleep Apnea Risk Factors

If you suffer from any of the following your chances for developing sleep apnea are definitely greater.

Overweight patients have a much higher rate of developing sleep apnea. Excess fat tissue around the neck and throat can cause constriction and excess pressure on the airway, making collapse much easier.

A large neck can also increase the risk of developing sleep apnea. Whether muscle or fat the amount of tissue on the airway can be dangerous. If your neck is over 17 inches in circumference (male) or 16 inches in circumference (female) your risks are greatly increased.

A small neck can also be a risk factor. If you are naturally thin necked or have an overly narrow airway it’s just as much a risk as having a neck that’s too large!

High blood pressure is a risk factor as well as a result of sleep apnea. In fact, patients suffering from hypertension commonly suffer from sleep apnea, making any diagnosis of it a reason to be screened.

Diabetics commonly suffer from sleep apnea. If you have either type one or type two diabetes and are a chronically loud snorer it’s not a bad idea to be tested!

Chronic nasal congestion makes it more common for people to breath through their mouths during the night, and an obstructed airway due to draining mucus only makes matters worse!

A family history of sleep apnea can be caused by any number of different sleep apnea risk factors. If your family has a history of sleep apnea there’s a good chance you’ve inherited a risk factor or two.

Smoking causes inflammation of the throat and airway, making it more likely that you’ll suffer from obstruction and sleep apnea.

Alcohol use relaxes soft tissue and muscles, increasing the risk of airway obstruction.

Being male is, unfortunately, a serious risk factor. Men develop sleep apnea at a rate nearly two to one of women.

Keep in mind that all of these are simply risk factors. It is just as possible for a thin, healthy person with minimal risk factors to develop it as it is for someone who can check off a variety of items on this list.

Treating Sleep Apnea

If you come to Really Smile Dentistry for sleep apnea treatment we’ll start by prescribing a sleep study. One we know that you’re suffering from sleep apnea the most common and effective treatment is the use of oral appliances. The devices we prescribe will keep your jaw in a comfortable, natural position that will prevent airway collapse and help you sleep better.

Don’t Take Chances With Sleep Apnea

The dangers of sleep apnea are serious, and the treatment can be incredibly simple. Don’t risk your long term health by ignoring the risk factors and symptoms. Contact our Carmel office to find out more today!

You can reach us at 317-597-8748 or you can request an appointment right here online. We look forward to helping you!

Snoring Keeping You Awake?

By on October 25, 2015

Snoring is a universal problem. We all do it once in a while and if we share a bed with anyone it ends up with a kick in the legs or an elbow in the ribs followed by “roll over!” No one enjoys snoring, especially when it’s severe enough to disturb your or someone else’s sleep!

At Really Smile Dentistry we see a lot of patients who complain about snoring from their spouse or that they’ve been told they snore really loudly. That’s why we’ve equipped ourselves to handle snoring patients and get them real solutions!

What Causes Snoring

Snoring is a result of the natural relaxation of your body during sleep. The tissues in your neck relax, causing your airway to relax. When your jaw and tongue are involved as well this can lead to partial blockage of airflow. That blockage makes it hard for air to pass, which is where the snoring sounds come from!

For most snorers that’s where the problem ends – they relax when they sleep and their airway gets partially blocked. For others snoring is a symptom of a larger problem – sleep apnea! The biggest difference between snoring and sleep apnea is that in the latter breathing stops completely!

What Is Sleep Apnea?

Like snoring, which has the same causes, sleep apnea involves the blockage of your airway during sleep. When the blockage is complete and breathing stops for about 20 seconds it’s called an apnea. These can be frightening, especially for someone you share a bed with!

Sleep apnea also has a lot of side effects that add up over time. The longer it goes untreated the greater your risks for heart disease, high blood pressure, type-2 diabetes, liver disorders, and daytime fatigue. When these conditions occur your quality of life can decrease sharply, leaving you unhealthy and unhappy!

Risk factors for sleep apnea include being male, being overweight, having a small neck, smoking, alcohol use, and nasal congestion. None of these is a guarantee that you’ll end up with sleep apnea but it can be a pretty good chance that you’ll be suffering if you don’t treat any factors that can be treated!

Treating Sleep Apnea

At our Carmel dentist office we treat sleep apnea by first working with one of our close associated sleep study professionals to have a sleep study performed. Your sleep study can help us determine the severity of your condition or whether there is a serious risk at all!

Once your sleep study is complete we can help you get the exact treatment you need! Our first treatment option, which is used for chronic snorers and patients suffering from sleep apnea alike, is oral appliances. The ones we offer at Really Smile Dentistry are custom made to fit your mouth and help prevent snoring and apneas by comfortably moving the lower jaw forward while you sleep!

By keeping the jaw forward in its natural waking position your airway is left open and unobstructed, allowing you to breath comfortably all night!

For the few patients who don’t find a benefit from oral appliances we can help you find a physician who is able to prescribe treatment using a CPAP machine. CPAP, or continuous positive airway pressure, is a system involving a small mask you wear over your nose and mouth at night. It connects to a box that pushes pressurized air into your lungs, allowing continued unobstructed breathing!

Whichever treatment works, you can soon find relaxation and the peace of a good night’s sleep. We want our patients to be able to wake feeling rested so they can greet the day with plenty of energy! If you’re finding yourself losing sleep, waking in the middle of the night, or sleeping next to someone who has symptoms that meet these descriptions then please contact us today!

Getting treatment for snoring and sleep apnea can be easy – just call our Carmel office today at 317-597-8748! You can also request an appointment by filling out our online form! We look forward to seeing you soon!

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