Sleep Apnea

Durango, CO

Sleep apnea is a condition that makes it difficult for your body to receive the oxygen you need to properly function. Without enough oxygen, you will feel drained and sluggish, but since the condition manifests itself at night, most people have no idea that they have it.

If you feel as though you have no energy and are too tired to keep up with your friends and family, you should visit our dental office to talk about sleep apnea. This may be what is causing your issues, and a simple non-invasive treatment may be just what you need to feel like yourself again. To schedule an appointment with our dental office, call (970) 259-1646. We will be happy to discuss your treatment and then make a recommendation for how you should proceed.

Feeling Tired All The Time? It Could be Sleep Apnea

Wondering if you have sleep apnea, a common sleeping disorder in which people will stop breathing during the night for a short period of time? If you tend to feel tired all the time, then it is very likely that your sleeping is somehow being interrupted. When you do not get enough sleep, it interferes with your ability to properly function. Those who are sleep deprived are simply not able to function as well as if they were to get a good night's sleep.

Sleep apnea disorder

When someone is diagnosed with sleep apnea, it means that the soft tissues in the back of their throat are blocking their airway, which prevents air from reaching their lungs. Some of the reasons why these tissues would be blocking the airway include the fact that airway muscles have become weak, or that someone may have a big tongue that blocks the airway and that they are overweight, which means the airway is surrounded by excess tissue.

Sleep apnea symptoms

If you have any of the following symptoms, there is a good chance that you have sleep apnea.

• Having excessive fatigue during the day

• Waking up with a headache in the morning

• Falling asleep while driving

• Waking up at night to gasp for air

• Snoring loudly

• Being irritable

• Struggling to pay attention while you are awake

• Waking up with a dry mouth

If you have any of these symptoms, you should schedule an appointment with your doctor to get evaluated. Your doctor will suggest trying a few things to see if your sleep pattern improves. If it does not, they will likely refer you to a sleep disorder center for further evaluation.

Before you go to your appointment with your doctor, you can take a sleep apnea test by visiting the American Sleep Apnea Association’s website to take four online tests that can be used to determine if you may have the disorder.

Sleep apnea risks

When sleep apnea is undiagnosed, it can lead to the person experiencing a number of additional health problems. It really is essential for everyone to get a good night's sleep, as this is the time when the body replenishes itself. If the body is not able to rest during the night when we are sleeping, then there can be accompanying health effects as a result.

Sleep apnea risks include high blood pressure, type two diabetes, heart disease, heart attacks and strokes.

What is the difference between sleep apnea and a sleep disorder?

Sleep apnea is a physical condition that makes it impossible to breathe clearly while you are sleeping. As a result, your body will not get enough oxygen to function at an optimal level. A sleep disorder can be one of the following:

• Insomnia. When it comes to sleep disorders, insomnia can be long-term or temporary. Often brought on by external factors like stress, insomnia can be treated with an oral medication.

• Narcolepsy. As a sleep disorder, narcolepsy is by far the worst. It can impact you throughout your entire life, making you feel so exhausted that you are forced to suddenly fall asleep, regardless of where you are or what you are doing. Narcolepsy is a true life disrupter.

• Restless leg syndrome. Commonly impacting pregnant women, restless leg syndrome can force your legs to move all throughout the night. Giving you a feeling of constant tingles or a burning and itching sensation, RLS can be highly distracting and impact anyone at any time. It helps to go for a walk or exercise during the day, since those who are sedentary tend to experience RLS more frequently.

• Jet lag. While most people view jet lag as a part of long-distance travel, it is a real sleep disorder, and if your body does not adjust well to the changes in time zones, jet lag could impact you for days or even weeks if you continue to travel from place to place. This disruption in your sleep patterns can make it difficult to get caught up on the rest you need, and may leave you feeling worn down to the point of potentially getting sick. Fortunately, this condition will eventually rectify itself when you get back home and stop traveling.

• Snoring. If you snore too loudly, you could wake up your Durango neighbors, your spouse, or just yourself. Many people cannot get a good night’s sleep because they snore too loudly, and this condition is often brought on by sleep apnea.

What are the two main types of sleep apnea?

• Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). When you have obstructive sleep apnea, your lower jawbone muscles will be too weak to hold your jaw in place as you sleep. As a result, it can fall backward and your tongue with it. Your tongue will then block your airway, making it impossible to breathe clearly while sleeping. This is why people with OSA will typically snore or sound like they are choking in their sleep. This is one of the signs that the body is trying to move the tongue in order to breathe. Another cause of OSA is having too much fatty tissue in the back of your throat. This is one reason obesity is a risk factor for OSA.

• Central Sleep Apnea. In this condition, the brain is responsible for the sleep apnea. By not sending signals to the muscles in charge of breathing, your body fails to respond as it should. This is not something that can be treated by a dentist, but instead, you will need to see a specialist.

How does sleep apnea impact a person’s health?

There are many health problems that can arise from untreated sleep apnea. They can include a stroke, high blood pressure, headaches, diabetes, depression, mood swings, heart failure, ADHD that becomes worse, and an overall lack of wellbeing.

How does sleep apnea negatively impact a person’s life?

With enough oxygen, your body will have a difficult time functioning. Beyond the health effects, this can translate to not having enough energy to stay awake past dinner, enjoy your kid's birthday parties, go for a bike ride, or even drive your car. In fact, when you are tired, the basic and often mundane activities of life can put you to sleep. This can make it dangerous to get behind the wheel and could compromise your work performance. Essentially, your quality of life can be greatly diminished, making it critical that you visit a Durango dentist to have your sleep apnea treated.

Treatment options

If the sleep specialist your doctor recommended determines that you have sleep apnea, the next step is to determine the best treatment options. In mild cases, the sleep specialist will recommend a few lifestyle changes, like quitting smoking or losing weight. If the lifestyle changes do not improve your sleep, the specialist will recommend other treatment options.

A few of these treatment options include:

• CPAP machine: A continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine is used to treat moderate to severe sleep apnea. The machine uses a mask to deliver air pressure while you sleep. The pressure delivered is greater than the pressure in the surrounding air and keeps your upper airway passages open to prevent snoring and apnea.

• Oral appliances: If you have trouble sleeping with a CPAP or other airway pressure devices, the specialist will suggest wearing an oral appliance that is designed to keep your throat open. Even though they are not as effective as CPAPs, they are easier to use.

• Surgery: This is considered an option after all other treatments have failed. However, if you have certain jaw structural problems, the specialist may recommend this treatment option first.

How is sleep apnea treated?

At Durango Dentistry, we recommend that patients explore all non-invasive treatment options first. This is why we will often suggest that our Durango, CO patients wear a removable oral appliance. An oral appliance is a convenient treatment option because it does not make any noise and is incredibly discrete. Some patients also require the use of a CPAP machine to provide them with additional oxygen. The challenge with a CPAP is that it can be loud and uncomfortable to wear. The third treatment option for OSA is to have surgery to remove the extra fatty tissue blocking your airway.

How does an oral appliance work?

Wearing an oral appliance is incredibly easy. It is customized for your mouth specifically so it fits snugly and securely. As a result, you can simply slip it into place when you go to sleep. It remains in place inside of your mouth and does an excellent job of holding your lower jaw in the forward position. This prevents your tongue from falling backward and keeps your airway clear. Some people receive all of the benefit they need by wearing an oral appliance, while those with severe sleep apnea may also require the use of a CPAP machine at the same time. In this case, most patients report that their CPAP is far more comfortable than when they were using it as a standalone treatment option.

Call us with your questions!

We can answer any of your sleep apnea questions, so be sure to call us at your soonest convenience. If you think that you have sleep apnea, then go ahead and call us so we can schedule you an appointment with one of our experienced dentists. The sooner you seek treatment, the sooner you can be on your way to better health. If you are still not sure whether or not you actually have sleep apnea, then you can make an appointment to discuss all of your signs with one of our dentists. They will then make a determination on whether or not to give you a sleep apnea diagnosis.