Sleep Apnea
Do you know that approximately 20 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea, including men, women, and children? What is sleep apnea? How do you know if you have sleep apnea? How is sleep apnea treated?
Join us as Washington Smiles explains more.
? What is sleep apnea?
Sleep apnea is a breathing disorder that interrupts a person’s normal breathing cycle while sleeping. Sleep apnea literally means that you stop breathing when sleeping. The interruptions are called apneas, and they can occur hundreds of times while sleeping, with some apneas lasting more than a minute.
While a person sleeps, the oral structures become relaxed and partially block the airway. When this happens, your breathing patterns vibrate the loose tissues, resulting in a snoring sound.
When the brain does not receive proper amounts of oxygen while sleeping, it alerts your body to wake up and take a breath. This is when people gasp or choke for air.
If sleep apnea is not treated effectively, it can cause cardiovascular problems, weight gain, headaches, heart attack, stroke, and more.
Sleep apnea symptoms
- Snoring
- Daytime drowsiness
- Irritability
- Fatigue
- Forgetfulness
- Falling asleep at inappropriate times
- Sudden waking, choking, coughing, or gasping
? How can Washington Smiles treat sleep apnea?
Washington Smiles offers oral appliance therapy for patients suffering from sleep apnea. The custom device is worn comfortably while sleeping. It is successful at treating mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and avoids the need for surgery. Oral appliance therapy can also reduce snoring.
The sleep apnea mouth guard keeps the airway open, resulting in comfortable, sound sleep. To find out if oral appliance therapy is right for you, call Washington Smiles today to schedule your consultation appointment.