Sleep Apnea & Snoring Treatment
Always Tired? Sleep Loss Can Be Deadly
Sufficient sleep and restorative rest are basics needs for your overall health. You need air, water, food…and you need sleep. It is essential that your body and brain have the time they require to re-boot every single day. Your body collects stress throughout the day, especially the heart. Once you truly rest at night, your heart rate slows and is able to decompress, relieving gathered stresses. This doesn't happen fast. Your body takes time to collect enough energy to take on the next day. While you sleep, your body and brain are revitalized. Your blood pressure declines, and the pace of age-related diseases slows down. You can curb illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and memory loss. When your sleep is lacking, it can burden your heart with excessive stress and strain on the muscle. Heart attacks, strokes, cardiovascular disease and in severe circumstances — death — have all been connected to sleep disorders.
Snoring Is More Than an Annoyance
Snoring is frequently evidence of a more critical health concern known as sleep apnea. People who have sleep apnea experience an airway obstruction while they sleep. Most sufferers don’t even realize it's happening. The obstruction prevents them from getting oxygen regularly throughout the night. Sleep apnea is a major contributing factor to heart disease because it causes elevated blood pressure, which is a key risk factor for heart disease and stroke. The outcome of sleep loss could be serious health concerns and premature death. Sleep deprivation can have negative effects on brain function, increasing stress hormones and leading to depression. Even if you have only mild sleep apnea, being fitted with an oral appliance can result in the reduction or even cessation of snoring. This could be a great gift to your partner!
Our Alternative to CPAP
The most common treatment for sleep apnea is the CPAP device, which is the gold standard for moderate to severe sleep apnea. CPAP stands for Continuous Positive Air Pressure. The patient is fitted with mask attached to a machine that pumps a continuous stream of air into the patient’s nose or mouth through the night. Unfortunately, many people stop wearing the mask due to discomfort. If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea and are frustrated with or unable to tolerate your CPAP, we can offer an alternative treatment. Our doctors can custom fit you with an oral appliance such as the Respire Blue Series™ or TAP™ (Thornton Adjustable Positioner). These are small acrylic devices that fit over the upper and lower teeth similar to a mouthguard or orthodontic retainer. The appliance gently realigns your jaw and tongue to keep your airway open and allow increased air flow to the lungs as you sleep. They are easy to place and remove and easy to clean, and are even convenient for travel. Most people find these devices extremely comfortable, and they have an excellent success rate for snoring and sleep apnea.
Snoring and sleep apnea don’t have to fill your nights. Give us a call today at (203) 743-5600 for a no-cost/no-obligation consultation.
