Do You Need Sleep Apnea Therapy? Learn the Symptoms Today!

Does your significant other have to sleep in the other room because of how loud your snoring is? When was the last time you woke up and didn’t feel like you stayed up all night? If these questions resonate with you or a loved one, there’s a possibility that either one of you is suffering from undiagnosed sleep apnea.

Getting quality sleep is incredibly important to your overall health. To find out if you need sleep apnea therapy, keep reading to learn the symptoms!

What are the Symptoms of Sleep Apnea?

One of the most common symptoms of sleep apnea is chronic loud snoring, however this alone is typically not enough to create an accurate diagnosis. While it’s a common symptom, you’ll also want to take note of the following symptoms that usually accompany it, including:

• Gasping or coughing, forcing you to wake up
• Frequent nighttime urination
• Chronic fatigue
• Waking with dry mouth or a sore throat
• Difficulty concentrating or completing tasks throughout the day

It’s important to note that sleep apnea is often misdiagnosed because of how difficult it can be to detect. In many cases, it can go unnoticed for years! In fact, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine projects nearly 30 million men and women in America suffer from sleep apnea every year.

Why Sleep is So Important

When we sleep, we aren’t simply passing the time until morning. Sleep gives our body the chance to rejuvenate and remember information learned throughout the day. To maintain your short- and long-term memory as well as many other cognitive functions, you need to achieve REM sleep. REM sleep is the deepest phase of sleep that allows these cognitive functions to operate properly.

Sleep apnea prevents your body from achieving this sleep state by constantly waking you up, sometimes dozens of times throughout the night. If you can’t concentrate or you’re falling asleep at your job or at school, it will be extremely difficult to be productive throughout the day. Furthermore, you’ll be at higher risk of getting into a car accident caused by excessive fatigue and even cardiovascular disease.

How Your Dentist Can Help

To protect your sleep and overall health as a result, your dentist can perform an at-home sleep study. This study is designed to give your dentist important data on how you sleep, how often sleep apnea episodes occur, and other important information related to your diagnosis. If he determines you may have sleep apnea, he’ll send the data to a sleep doctor who can create a custom treatment plan.

This treatment plan can include wearing an oral appliance to open your airway, using a continuous pathway airway pressure (CPAP) machine, or a combination of the two to get your sleep schedule back on track.

Don’t let precious sleep go to waste. Schedule an appointment with your dentist and find the cause of your chronic fatigue!

About the Author

Dr. Patrick Crowley earned his DDS degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry. Thanks to his continuing education, he’s trained to help patients diagnose and treat their sleep apnea. To learn more about his practice or treatment options, contact him through his website.