Sleep apnea is a disorder that affects millions in the US and occurs when patients stop breathing for ten or more seconds at a time during sleep. People who suffer from sleep apnea can experience these cessations of breathing 100s of times each night. While many people think that sleep apnea is a mild annoyance, it’s actually extremely detrimental to whole body health without treatment. Patients can receive treatments using continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), oral appliances, or combined CPAP and oral appliance therapy. The key to maintaining optimal health is to seek treatment and consistently use your sleep apnea devices as directed.
Adverse Health Effects
When patients experience an apnea event, the cessation of breathing during sleep, the body triggers a panic response to wake the sleeper and restart normal inhaling and exhaling rhythms. Unfortunately, the lack of oxygen supply, the panic response, and the repeated waking take a toll on your health. Some of the chronic and systemic health concerns that occur as result of sleep apnea include:
- Elevated blood pressure that occurs due to the repeated panic responses triggered to wake the patient and restart breathing
- Heart disease & stroke as a result of the elevated blood pressure and lack of oxygen supply
- Obesity & increased risk for diabetes due to exhaustion and the body’s inability to achieve necessary quality and quantity of sleep to repair and rejuvenate the body and digest foods properly
- Asthma and acid reflux are much more common among adults with sleep apnea
Adverse Effects of Sleep Deprivation
In addition to the numerous chronic and systemic illnesses, lack of sleep also creates serious health concerns. When the body is unable to repair itself during deep sleep, the result is a greater risk for a wide range of illnesses, and the severe exhaustion experienced during the day can lead to issues like:
- Memory loss
- Difficulty concentrating
- Increased risk of car accidents
- Changes in temperament
- Mild hallucination and/or misinterpretation of events
- Lack of necessary energy to complete daily tasks
Meet Dr. Striebel
Your trusted Huber Heights sleep dentist, James A. Striebel, DDS, DABDSM, has more than twenty years of education, training, and experience that allows him to offer patients effect sleep apnea treatment using oral appliances and combined therapies. If you’ve recently been diagnosed with sleep apnea or find yourself to be CPAP intolerant, contact our Huber Heights office to schedule a sleep apnea treatment consultation. We’ll evaluate your condition and help you find the right sleep apnea therapy. Read our blog regularly to learn more about all of the valuable services we provide in our comfortable, state-of-the-art dental office.