About Sleep Apnea
What Is
Have you been feeling drained and depleted even after you get eight hours of sleep or more? Feeling more moody than usual? Are you noticing other strange symptoms like frequent headaches or sore throats when you wake up? You may be experiencing sleep apnea. It’s important to be aware of the risk factors for sleep apnea and monitor yourself for signs that you may have this disorder so that you can get treatment. Effective sleep apnea treatment is accessible, and it can help you get back to feeling normal.
Sleep apnea is one of many sleep disorders that can interfere with your ability to get a full night’s rest. With sleep apnea, your upper respiratory airway is blocked repeatedly while you are asleep. Every time this happens, you wake up briefly to restore a normal breathing pattern. Patients with sleep apnea often have no awareness that their sleep is interrupted over and over while it is happening. However, the condition does result in several tell-tale symptoms that warrant further evaluation. This condition should not be taken lightly or ignored. It can have devastating effects on your health and wellness, so it’s important for patients who suspect that they have sleep apnea to confirm the diagnosis and get treatment.
How Do I Know If I Have Sleep Apnea?
Many symptoms can indicate the presence of sleep apnea. If you are still tired when you wake up in the morning, even if you’ve slept for a full eight hours, that can mean that you have sleep apnea. Other sleep apnea symptoms include:
- Snoring
- Mood changes (irritability, depression)
- Difficulty focusing/paying attention
- Morning headaches
- Waking up with a dry mouth or sore throat
While these symptoms suggest sleep apnea, the only way to know for sure if the condition is at fault is to complete a sleep study. This can be done in the comfort of your home by following simple directions.
How Does Sleep Apnea Affect Your Health?
Sleep apnea is cause for concern because it is associated with many health issues, such as:
- Metabolic syndrome
- Type 2 diabetes
- Stroke
- High blood pressure
- Obesity
While the precise mechanism underlying this apparent relationship between sleep apnea and these health conditions is unknown, it may be due to the oxygen deprivation that occurs during the apneic episodes. That oxygen deprivation can result in inflammation, which is also implicated in many of the conditions that appear to correlate with sleep apnea.
How Is Sleep Apnea Treated?
Avoiding the health risks associated with sleep apnea is a compelling reason to seek treatment for the condition. Getting sleep apnea treatment doesn’t have to be a complicated affair, either. It can be completed in just a few sessions, without an invasive procedure. Our practice helps patients win the fight against sleep apnea by providing oral appliance therapy. The oral appliance is comfortable and easy to use, and it eliminates the conditions that contribute to sleep apnea by keeping the soft tissues clear of the airway opening so that they can’t block it.
For relief from your sleep apnea symptoms and to prevent the health risks associated with the condition, schedule your evaluation at Crosspointe Sleep Solutions.