One of the common but serious medical problems faced by millions of Americans is a sleeping disorder. While this condition is debilitating, people may not understand what it is. Sleep apnea is a disorder that causes a person to repeatedly stop breathing during sleep.
This is considered a serious medical problem and if left untreated can lead to serious health issues to the extent of heart failure. Every time you stop breathing in your sleep, be short of of oxygen alarms your brain due to which you wake up and again start breathing properly.
Signs showing sleep disorder
Some potential symptoms of this sleep disorder include:
- Insomnia or difficulty in sleeping
- Chronic snoring at night
- Waking up during night sleep due to shortness of breath
- Feeling unintentionally sleepy and drowsy during the daytime
- Snorting or choking sounds during night’s sleep
- Early morning headaches
- Depression
- Irritability
- Concentration and memory issues
How is testing done?
Usually, this condition is found in older adults like 40 plus than young adults and children. However, anyone can suffer from this problem and should get treated with a sleep apnea specialist. Contact Orion Dental Specialties in Cypress, Texas who have specialists known to diagnose the extent of your problem and can prescribe the best treatment.
You will be asked to undergo a sleep study or polysomnogram. This study will involve a range of tests that would help to diagnose and determine your sleep disorder problem.
Sleep studies that are conducted in clinics include tests like:
- Electroencephalogram (EEG) – measures activity in the brain electronically
- Electrocardiogram (ECG) – measures heart rate and its rhythm
- Electrooculogram – measures the movements of eyes and chin that signal different stages of sleep
- Respiratory inductance plethysmography – measures breathing patterns and lung capacity
- Monitoring of leg movement, oxygen, and carbon dioxide levels with special sensors.
Risk factors
People who are at high risk for this problem are:
- Older people
- Those who drink excessively
- Smokers
- Overweight and obese people
- Those who are on sedatives and tranquilizers
Why should it be treated?
Any individual suffering from this problem should go for sleep apnea treatment as it can lead to many serious health issues like:
- High blood pressure
- Stroke
- Heart failure
- Feeling fatigued throughout the day
- Mental health issues
The continuous state of fatigue and drowsiness can lead to problems at work, danger while driving or operating heavy machinery. Treatments for this kind of sleep disorder depend on the severity of every individual.
Basic sleep apnea therapy can be behavioral like you will be advised to lose weight, go for yoga classes, stop smoking and drinking and sleep on your sides. Beyond that, the specialist from Orion Dental Specialist Cypress, Texas can prescribe oral devices that can be custom-fit for the person to wear while sleeping.
The device helps to move the tongue or the lower jaw upward and forward. This movement enhances to increase in the size of the upper air passage which helps the person to breathe. If the case is more severe, then surgery is the only option left.
