Snoring and Sleep apnea San Bruno – Symptoms and Treatment

Snoring could be a sign of sleep apnea. Snoring occurs when your tongue vibrates against your soft palate. Sleep apnea is a condition in which a person stops breathing during sleep, sometimes hundreds of times in a night; and sometimes for more than a minute. The condition of sleep apnea is not a mere nuisance – it poses significant health risks if left untreated. The problem with the condition is that most people don’t even know when they have it. The only way to find out is to be tested.

Some of the common signs of sleep apnea are:

• Consistently waking to use the bathroom several times a night
• Consistently waking with a dry mouth or sore throat
• Consistently waking up feeling out of breath
• Restlessness or fitful sleep
• Loud, chronic snoring
• Waking with headaches
• Tiredness and difficulty concentrating even after a full night’s sleep
• Irritability and/or depression

Dr. Parker checks for signs of sleep apnea in patients, and will refer you to a sleep lab for an overnight sleep study, or request a home sleep study to be analyzed by a sleep physician for a patient suspects he or she may have the condition. Only a Physician can diagnose sleep apnea, but the good news is that dentists trained in sleep apnea like Dr. Parker, can treat mild to moderate cases. It is important to talk with your dentist if you experience the above symptoms, as treatment enables you to maintain health and avoid the health complications that may come from living with sleep apnea.

People with sleep apnea run the risk of poor performance in carrying out daily activities at work and at home. The condition may also pose the risk of vehicle accidents and may worsen the behaviors of ADHD patients. Moving into more serious complications, sleep apnea patients are also at higher risk of depression, diabetes, irregular heartbeat, heart attack and heart failure, as well as stroke and high blood pressure.

Dr. Parker may recommend treatment with a dental appliance that is worn during sleep, or the use of a CPAP machine (Continuous positive airway pressure). Most CPAP machines consist of a mask, to be worn over the nose; or prongs that fit into the nose. The positive pressure from air flowing into the nostrils helps keep the airways open so that breathing is not impaired. A dental appliance moves the jaw forward during sleep so the airway does not become obstructed. A CPAP machine is the gold standard of treatment for sleep apnea, dental appliances are the first choice of treatment for mild to moderate sleep apnea. Roughly 60% of all patients can not tolerate CPAP.

The treatment recommended will be determined by the specifics of a sleep apnea case, as every patient has his or her own set of particular circumstances. If you or a loved one exhibit symptoms of sleep apnea, speak with Dr. Parker about treatment options.

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