Have you been feeling exhausted and irritable during the day you may be wondering if you are suffering from sleep apnea, but how can you find out? Our dentist in Surrey and Langley explains if a dentist can diagnose your sleep apnea and what the effects of this condition are.
What are the effects of sleep apnea on the human body?
Sleep apnea gets its name due to the fact that the small breathing pauses that are experienced while sleeping are referred to as apneas. These breathing pauses can last a few seconds to a few minutes and can happen up to 30 times (or more) per night. After each pause, normal breathing resumes, usually with a choking sound or a loud snort.
Breathing problems, as you might expect, can disrupt your sleep and lead to a variety of complications that can harm your overall health, such as an increased risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, and heart attack. It increases the likelihood of developing an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) and becoming involved in a car or workplace accident.
What are the different types of sleep apnea and how do they go undiagnosed?
Sleep apnea is commonly undiagnosed because it does not show up in various diagnostic tests and there are no symptoms to watch for during routine checkups. The symptoms that are commonly reported are physically felt by the patient.
Mild Forms of Sleep Apnea
Simple, non-invasive treatments for moderate to mild sleep apnea, such as oral appliances or weight management, are commonly used (since being overweight is sometimes a primary cause of sleep apnea).
Our dental team can make recommendations for weight loss treatment options while offering other services and appliances that can help to manage your sleep apnea symptoms.
Severe Forms of Sleep Apnea
Dentists typically advise patients with severe sleep apnea to use CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure). Continuous positive airway pressure, which uses air pressure to keep the airway open while you sleep, is the most common treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. Inspire therapy is a treatment option for patients who are unable or unwilling to benefit from CPAP consistently.
Inspire monitors your breathing while you sleep and sends mild stimulation to the nerve that controls the movement of your tongue and other muscles in your airway to keep it open.