Understand Risks of Sleep Apnea

One of the symptoms of sleep apnea is that people are too tired, and they're often exhausted. And they might fall asleep at a stop light or worse, fall asleep while they're driving. They could just doze off at other times of the day when they're not intending to, and they just know they're having a hard ... Sometimes, people don't feel that bad if they have a milder case of sleep apnea. Sometimes, if they have a more severe case, they know, they just feel terrible every day. So there's kind of a continuum of spectrum of levels that people have. But it's very important to treat it even when you have a milder case because what can happen, the dangers of it, is that untreated sleep apnea is going to lead to hypertension. It's going to lead to cardiovascular disease. It has been linked with the onset of type 2 diabetes. It has been linked with stroke, it's been linked with a lot of terrible systemic effects that people don't want in their lives.

In fact, it's been proven that treating obstructive sleep apnea can extend somebody's life by 7 - 10 years. So it's a very significant thing for people to consider. And the problem is that the vast majority of people in this country and in this world are undiagnosed. They're undiagnosed, they may think that they're ... they may not be so severe that they really are in the sleep doctor's office saying, "Hey, what's wrong with me?" But they may not feel great, they may have a milder case of it. And yet if they don't treat it, those systemic effects are going to occur given enough time.

So, that's why it's important to get tested if you do show signs and symptoms and/or ... In our office, we use a screener, which actually helps to assess in the patient's own assessment of their sleepiness and also some physical markers to try to ascertain if the person has a high likelihood of having sleep apnea. So we talk to you about that if we find that to be the case and decide if getting tested is the right thing for you.

Sleep apnea is a very serious condition. And if left untreated, patients may find that they're at high risk for stroke and heart attack. Some of the inflammatory conditions that they may be experiencing are also out of control.

Essentially, what happens is when you're asleep, you stop breathing. When you stop breathing, it's going to put stress on all of your major organs. Those patients may have blood pressure, diabetes. They may also be at risk for falling asleep and endangering others, which can be quite frightening.

So, a lot of folks will go get a sleep test, sleep study done. And then they're faced with wearing a CPAP. For some patients, the CPAP is what they need to wear, and they absolutely should wear it. For other patients, they may not be able to tolerate a CPAP for some reason or another.

For others, they may have very mild sleep apnea, maybe moderate. And their physician will allow them to be treated with an oral appliance. What's great about a oral appliance is it's an appliance you pop in your mouth. It's like a orthodontic appliance, almost. Brings the lower jaw forward, allows you to breath on your own without the help of a machine. You're able to roll around in the bed, you don't have to worry about getting tangled in any tubes or cords.

For some patients they may need an oral appliance in conjunction with a CPAP because their sleep apnea's so severe that the CPAP is on the highest setting. And it's almost like sticking their head out a car window at full speed and letting that air go in there. It's not a very comfortable way to sleep. So we're able to dial back that CPAP machine and work with their doctor to wear an oral appliance in conjunction with that.

So there's a host of different ways we can use oral appliance therapy for patients that have sleep apnea. All the way from the most severe patients that might need what's called combo therapy, all the way down to the mild patient who is unwilling or not wanting to wear a CPAP or doesn't want to wear a CPAP. Maybe it's not the right fit for them.

It can really change people's lives when they're able to wear something that they have longevity with. Some folks will try a CPAP, it ends up in the closet collecting dust. Well, you're not being treated if the CPAP is in the closet, so let's get you something you will wear and that will treat you and extend your life.