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Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley CA
It’s easy to poke fun at people for their loud, obnoxious snoring — after all, we don’t call it “sawing logs” for nothing. But snoring is actually no laughing matter. In fact, it’s oftentimes an indication of something very serious — something that can increase a person’s risk of developing systemic health conditions like heart disease and stroke. Snoring can be caused by someone’s craniofacial anatomy, weight, allergies, a cold or alcohol consumption. But more often than not, people who are loud, persistent snorers have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which is what our airway dentist in Santa Cruz is focusing on in today’s blog. Let’s dive into what OSA is, what its symptoms are and how a dentist can correct it.
What is OSA?
When you enter deep sleep, the muscles in your throat relax, and in people with OSA, the soft tissues partially or completely block the airway. Snoring — the most telltale sign of OSA — is the sound of those tissues vibrating as air struggles to move through. The airway obstruction causes frequent and lengthy pauses in breathing at night — 100 times or more in the most severe cases — usually followed by gasps for air or choking noises. In the short-term, this can cause excessive daytime fatigue.
What are the risks?
If left untreated, reduced oxygen levels in the blood due to lack of oxygen during sleep can lead to potential hazards and many serious health problems. Let’s look at a few:
Chronic headaches
Frequent morning headaches could be a result of snoring through the night. As the airway becomes blocked, it prevents proper oxygen flow into the body and the brain. Headaches can cloud your thinking, judgment and concentration, potentially leading to work-related accidents, missed deadlines or other mishaps on the job.
Excessive daytime sleepiness
When a person struggles to breathe through the night and the brain repeatedly startles the body awake to breathe, it causes sleep-cycle disruptions and prevents a person from receiving restorative sleep. Daytime grogginess can have disastrous consequences while on the job or behind the wheel of a car.
Health risks
Research has linked the lack of oxygen in people with OSA to serious health complications like high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Chronic sleep disruption can also contribute to depression and anxiety.
Sleep divorce
When one sleeping partner snores, no one in the bedroom — or sometimes the entire household — receives the sleep they need. The snorers are losing time in restorative stages of sleep because of constant sleep disruptions. The partner who doesn’t snore is losing sleep, too, because of the annoying noises coming from the snorer. Sometimes in these cases, couples choose“sleep divorce,” going to bed at different times of the night or sleeping in entirely different rooms. Over time, this can wreak havoc on a marriage.
How can sleep apnea be treated?
Most people associate a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine with sleep apnea. The machine includes a mask that the OSA sufferer wears at night. But a lot of people complain that CPAP machines are loud, cumbersome and difficult to clean. Thankfully, they’re not the only solution for OSA. Lifestyle changes, such as losing weight, avoiding alcohol before bedtime and sleeping on your side can help reduce snoring. In the most severe cases, surgical interventions may be necessary. But our Scotts Valley sleep apnea dentist treats mild to moderate cases of OSA with oral appliance therapy.
What is oral appliance therapy?
Oral appliance therapy is a simple, non-invasive way to address OSA. Similar to a mouthguard, our custom-made oral appliances reposition the jaw and tongue to open the airway while you’re sleeping.
SLEEP APNEA TREATMENT IN SCOTTS VALLEY, SANTA CRUZ, AND LOS GATOS, CALIFORNIA
Millions of people accept snoring as a natural part of life since it’s so common. But the health risks associated with snoring make the annoying nighttime sounds no laughing matter. A solution could be as close as your Scotts Valley family dentist’s office. If you are in the Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz and Los Gatos area and you think you or your partner may have OSA, please call Ebrahimian Integrative Dentistry at (831) 824-5111, or reach us online to schedule a consultation today.
