Sleep Apnea

What Is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a common disorder in which you have one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while you sleep.

Breathing pauses can last from a few seconds to minutes. They often occur 5 to 30 times or more an hour. Typically, normal breathing then starts again, sometimes with a loud snort or choking sound.

Sleep apnea usually is a chronic (ongoing) condition that disrupts your sleep 3 or more nights each week. You often move out of deep sleep and into light sleep when your breathing pauses or becomes shallow.

This results in poor sleep quality that makes you tired during the day. Sleep apnea is one of the leading causes of excessive daytime sleepiness.

Overview

Sleep apnea often goes undiagnosed. Doctors usually can't detect the condition during routine office visits. Also, there are no blood tests for the condition.

Most people who have sleep apnea don't know they have it because it only occurs during sleep. A family member and/or bed partner may first notice the signs of sleep apnea.

The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea. This most often means that the airway has collapsed or is blocked during sleep. The blockage may cause shallow breathing or breathing pauses.

There are dental alternatives to the CPAP machines, many quite easy to use with no recurring costs.  You should have a sleep study prior to treatment to diagnose your condition.  Contact us at 673-3698 or your physician to order a sleep study. After that we can go over the risks, benefits, and alternatives to treat the condition.  You should be aware of all treatment options prior to making a decision.

To locate more information, view the pages below this article.  On the web, type in sleep apnea, sleep disorders, diagnosis and treatment in your search bar.