What Exactly is Sleep Apnea?

If you snore regularly and experience persistant daytime sleepiness, you may have a medical condition called “Obstructive Sleep Apnea” (OSA).  Although it is as widespread as asthma and diabetes,  OSA often remains undiagnosed -  a “hidden epidemic”.

Normally, the muscles that control the upper airway relax during sleep.  If they relax too much, the upper airway becomes narrow and as air is inhaled causes the tissue to vibrate creating  the condition referred to as snoring.  If the airway becomes too narrow this may cause breathing difficulties.  When the airway becomes completely blocked, the person temporarily stops breathing, experiencing an “Obstructive Sleep Apnea”.  This may happen frequently, even several hundred times a night.

If you have this condition, every time an apnea occurs, you struggle to breathe, placing stress on your brain and heart.  Night after night, your sleep is disrupted.  You experience the kind of tiredness that affects the quality of your life, work, and relationships.  Your partner may hear the tell-tale signs of OSA while you sleep, snoring followed by a period of silence, and then, perhaps, a loud snort or a gasp as you resume breathing. Reggie White, Green Bay Packer football great, was diagnosed with OSA, never treated, and died as a consequence.  OSA  has been proven to increase a person’s risk for high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attacks, cardiac arrhythmias, heart disease, strokes, and depression. 

There is treatment for this condition.  We work with Dr Raj Kakar, MD, a board-certified sleep medicine specialist, conveniently located next door to our office, to diagnose and formulate a treatment plan.  Part of the treatment plan might include a prescription in the case of mild to moderate OSA  for Preston Road Dental Care, PA,  to custom fit and adjust a treatment appliance.

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