Personalized Sleep Apnea Treatment in Raleigh, NC
One in every fifty Americans suffers from sleep apnea although they are not aware of it. It is a condition that prevents you from having a completely restful sleep. If you feel tired and sleepy all the time even with a full night’s rest, you might be experiencing sleep apnea, too. Fortunately, Woodall & McNeill offers different treatments to help avoid sleep apnea in Raleigh, NC.
What is Sleep Apnea?
The disorder known as sleep apnea causes your breathing to stop while you are asleep. In Greek, apnea means “restless.” The resulting oxygen shortage sets off a survival response that arouses you just enough to resume breathing and keep you alive. However, sleep apnea prevents you from getting a good long sleep, which may lead to chronic health issues like heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, depression, and obesity.
Types of Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a disorder that must be taken seriously. According to the American Sleep Apnea Association (ASAA), around 38,000 Americans die due to complications related to sleep apnea. There are three reasons why people with sleep apnea suddenly stop breathing while sleeping:
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) – This happens when your airway becomes blocked when the muscles in your throat relax. OSA is the most common type of sleep apnea.
- Central Sleep Apnea (CSA) – When the brain incorrectly sends signal to your breathing muscles.
- Complex Sleep Apnea – A type of sleep apnea that happens during therapy when an OSA becomes CSA.
Who is Most Likely to Have Sleep Apnea?
As you become older, you also become more vulnerable to sleep apnea. However, it is more likely for the following individuals to have the condition:
- Those who are obese or overweight.
- Individuals who have smoking and drinking problems.
- People with narrowed airways either by genetic inheritance or developed from large tonsils
- Those who came from a family with sleep apnea.
- People using opioid painkillers.
- Individuals with heart issues.
- Those who reside in high-altitude locations.
- People with nasal congestion.
- Individuals with medical conditions like asthma, heart disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes
Symptoms of Sleep Apnea
The symptoms of central and obstructive sleep apneas sometimes overlap, making it challenging to diagnose one over the other. The following are the most typical signs of both central and obstructive sleep apneas:
- Snoring loudly.
- Instances when you stop breathing while you’re sleeping, as told by another person.
- Breathing heavily when you sleep.
- Mouth feeling dry when waking up.
- Headaches in the morning.
- Insomnia, or difficulty in falling asleep.
- Hypersomnia, or excessive daytime sleepiness.
- Having trouble focusing when awake.
- Short Temperedness.
Treatments for Sleep Apnea
It is important to understand that sleep apnea cannot be cured. However, depending on the kind and degree of sleep apnea, there are many different approaches to treat it. Each of them can lower the frequency or intensity of apnea episodes or avoid them altogether. Among these treatments are:
- Conservative measures include weight loss, shifting sleeping positions, using sleep aids, switching prescription drugs, and using nasal sprays.
- Positive Airway Pressure (PAP): PAP works by forcing more air into your airways with the use of a specialized device.
- Mouthguards and other oral devices can help you maintain your tongue and jaw in a position that relieves pressure on your windpipe.
- Nerve stimulators that assist in maintaining your mouth forward while you sleep.
Improve Your Sleep Quality and Health
See a dentist at Woodall & MacNeill if you believe that your jaw, teeth, or tongue are the source of your sleep apnea. We will be able to provide you treatments for sleep apnea in Raleigh, NC.
Call us or visit our office to find out more about sleep apnea treatment