Snoring and Sleep Apnoea
Snoring and Sleep Apnoea
Did you know according to the World Health Organisation over 100 million people in the world suffer from Sleep Apnea. At Raceveiw Dental we are proud to be one of the only dentists in the Ipswich region to be trained and able to help in the treatment of this condition.
1) What is Sleep Apnea
A normal night of sleep transitions through periods of deep and light sleep. Upon waking you should feel refreshed and energetic.Sleep Apnea occurs when during the night your airway is blocked and no oxygen passes to the lungs. This causes your body to go into panic, your heart must work harder and the body wakes itself up to resume breathing. The reason no air flows is normally due to your tongue relaxing during sleep and blocking the airflow. When these episodes occur more than 5 times an hour a patient is said to have sleep apnea.
The main signs of Sleep Apnea are:
- Excessive Snoring
- Partner Notices you Stop Breathing/Gasping at night
- Daytime Tiredness
- Lack of Energy
- Poor concentration/memory
2) Why Should it be Treated?
Along with nutrition and exercise, sleep is the basis of good health. In Sleep Apnea you are simply not getting a proper sleep every single night.
Therefore, treatment for Sleep Apnea is extremely important as it can prevent long term consequences such as
- Relationship Breakdown
- Depression
- Impact on Career
- Heart Attack/Stroke
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Increase Blood Pressure
3) How can your Dentist help
As many do not know about Sleep Apnea it is majorly under diagnosed. A dentist trained in breathing disorders can look for signs and symptoms during your regular dental examination. They can then help organise a referral to a Sleep Physician or an ENT who can confirm the diagnoses of Sleep Apnea through further investigation and/or a sleep study.
4) How is it Treated?
Once diagnosed, the sleep physician or ENT will recommend one of the following forms of treatment:
- Lifestyle – loose weight, sleep posture, sleep hygiene
- CPAP machine – a machine which supplys a constant supply of oxygen during the night
- MAS device – a night guard patients wear which gently pushes there jaw and tongue forward to open the airway
- Surgery – to remove any blockages preventing the airflow
If a MAS device if recommended you will be referred back to your dentist to have one made.
If you feel you, your child, your partner or any other loved one may be suffering from undiagnosed Sleep Apnea please do not hesitate to call our lovely staff at Raceview Dental on (07) 3202 4566 and book in for a full check up and clean. As part of this please bring up any concerns you may have related to Sleep Apnea and we can let you know where to go from there.