Sleep Apnea: Symptoms and Solutions

More than 18 million Americans deal with sleep apnea – a condition that causes the back of the throat to collapse while they are sleeping, which blocks the airway, automatically reducing the amount of oxygen delivered to all of their organs. People with sleep apnea often snore loudly and stop breathing suddenly for short periods of time during the night. When the blood-oxygen level drops low enough, the body wakes itself up, sometimes even hundreds of times throughout the night. This happens so quickly that your body doesn’t even realize it has woken up, but you may just wake up in the morning feeling restless and unrefreshed.

Did you find yourself relating to situations in the afore-written paragraph? You may have sleep apnea. If you experience unintentionally falling asleep during the day, or general daytime sleepiness, unrefreshed sleep, fatigue, or insomnia, you may be a perfect candidate for an oral sleep apnea treatment.

If you believe you may have sleep apnea, it is a good idea to talk to an AADSM Dentist near you – that is, a dentist who specializes in sleep apnea treatment. Before you go, your dentist may ask you to answer the following, so it may be a good idea to think about answers to these questions beforehand:

• What time do you go to bed each night?
• What time do you get up each morning?
• How many times do you remember waking up each night?
• Do you usually feel rested when you wake up?
• How often do you take naps during the day?
• Do you feel more rested or more sleepy throughout the day?

Visit the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine’s website to find a sleep-apnea-specialized dentist near you.