Sleep apnea is not just dangerous because you irritate your bedroom partner. When you have obstructive sleep apnea, it means your airway becomes blocked when you sleep. This interrupts your breathing, causes heavy snoring and gasping for breath, and low oxygen levels. You may or may not realize that your body is constantly trying to regulate your breath during the night, so you wake often — up to 30 times an hour.
Regular awakenings and poor oxygen delivery to your organs and tissues can have a dire effect on your health. Sleep apnea is serious. That’s why we here at Advanced Care Dentistry in Woodinville, Washington offer convenient solutions to your problem.
Here are some reasons to be concerned about sleep apnea and its effects on your health.
It’s one thing to feel tired once in a while, but constant fatigue is debilitating. You may experience severe daytime drowsiness and irritability. This fatigue may cause you to fall asleep at work or while watching television. You may struggle to stay on task at work or at school.
Daytime fatigue can also have the serious consequence of causing you to fall asleep while driving. People with sleep apnea are more likely to experience a motor vehicle or workplace accident.
Sleep apnea can result in serious health problems like hypertension, arrhythmias (irregular heartbeat), cardiomyopathy (enlarged heart muscle), heart attacks, and heart failure.
When your blood oxygen levels drop suddenly when your airway is blocked, it increases your blood pressure and strains your cardiovascular system. This stress takes a toll on your heart over time. If you already have heart disease, continued episodes or low blood oxygen due to sleep apnea can lead to sudden death.
Your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes rises when you have sleep apnea. Before you develop Type 2 diabetes, you may develop metabolic syndrome, which is characterized by high blood sugar, high blood pressure, high blood lipids, and a large waist size. Metabolic syndrome raises your risk of developing chronic diseases, like Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Sleep apnea can also cause sexual dysfunction, systematic inflammation, and irritability in your partner — who will have trouble sleeping due to your snoring and gasping regularly in the night.
At Advanced Care Dentistry, we offer an alternative to the CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure), which is bulky, loud, uncomfortable, and not portable.
Oral dental appliances that are similar to mouthguards are a simple, convenient solution to sleep apnea. They move the lower jaw slightly forward to open the airway. We use the Avant device made by Somnomed.
If you have mild to moderate sleep apnea, this oral appliance is comparable with a CPAP device for improving symptoms and reducing many of the risks associated with sleep apnea.
To find out if a dental solution is what you need to sleep more comfortably and preserve your health, contactl Advanced Care Dentistry today. Call the friendly staff at our office or reach out via this website to set up an appointment and review all of your options.
