SANTA CRUZ, SCOTTS VALLEY CA
Sleep apnea is a sleep breathing disorder that causes reduced airflow, which interrupts your sleep and can be harmful to your health. This condition can affect anyone of any age, even children and physically fit adults. Therefore, it’s essential to identify sleep apnea symptoms and address the condition as soon as possible. So today on the blog, explore the six signs of sleep apnea that you shouldn’t ignore and how our Scotts Valley airway dentists can help.
Snoring
Snoring is considered the most common warning sign of a case of sleep apnea. When soft tissue blocks the airway, the tissue vibrates as air seeps past the blockage, causing a loud snoring or pauses in breathing. Therefore, if you snore or gasp for air while sleeping, it’s a good indicator that you could have obstructive sleep apnea.
Dry mouth
The body has a natural ability to adapt, even in cases of sleep apnea where air cannot flow through the nasal passages. As a result, you may breathe through your mouth while sleeping, which will cause dry mouth. Unfortunately, dry mouth increases the risk of cavities and gum disease. Managing your sleep apnea will help you breathe through your nose and keep your mouth from drying out while sleeping.
Headaches
Sleep apnea sufferers often experience headaches when they wake up in the morning. This could be due to lower blood oxygenation levels, which causes the blood vessels to widen and lead to vascular headaches. Additionally, sleep apnea interrupts the sleep cycle. Specifically, it limits the amount of time you spend in the deepest stages of sleep, leaving you feeling sleep deprived, which can also cause headaches in the morning.
Daytime fatigue
If you aren’t getting enough quality sleep, you’re bound to feel tired throughout the day and resort to caffeine or sugar to give you bursts of energy. Unfortunately, daytime fatigue increases the risk of falling asleep while driving or operating machinery at work if you work in a factory. It could also cause you to be more forgetful and forget important deadlines at work or important events in your personal life.
Weight gain
Quality sleep and weight management go hand in hand. If you’re trying to shed some pounds and struggle or find yourself gaining weight without any other explanation, it could be due to insufficient sleep because of obstructive sleep apnea. Managing your condition could help you get the rest that you deserve and reach your health goals because the body repairs itself while sleeping. Without that quality sleep, you could sabotage your weight loss efforts.
Chronic health issues
Heart disease, diabetes and dementia are scientifically connected to untreated sleep apnea because decreased oxygen strains the brain and heart and leads to chronic inflammation throughout the body. Unfortunately, inflammatory markers increase the risk of a heart attack, stroke, insulin resistance and dementia. Additionally, having chronic health issues could exacerbate sleep apnea. Therefore, if you have chronic health conditions like cardiovascular disease or diabetes, or you experience signs of memory loss, consider a sleep apnea screening to rule out a sleep-breathing disorder.
Sleep apnea screening in Scotts Valley, Las Gatos, and Santa Cruz, California
Sleep apnea is more than just loud snoring that disrupts your partner’s sleep. It affects your sleep quality, dental health, and overall health. At Ebrahimian Integrative Dentistry, we welcome the health threat posed due to sleep apnea. That’s why we offer at-home sleep studies, which you can take the results of to a sleep specialist for an official diagnosis of sleep apnea. From there, you can return to your airway dentists at Ebrahimian Integrative Dentistry and receive treatment, ideally through oral appliance therapy. To find out more or schedule an appointment with Ebrahimian Integrative Dentistry, call (831) 438-4411 today.
