This is a common question for those who snore or have trouble sleeping. Do I have sleep apnea?
Grinding gravel, sawing logs…if you are a frequent snorer, you know there’s no good way to put it. Here are a few things to look for when determining if you are simply a noisy sleeper or are suffering from the more serious medical condition of sleep apnea.
What is Sleep Apnea?
Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when soft tissue in the throat partially or completely blocks the airway. This blockage causes decreased oxygen in the body. The lack of oxygen will cause the person to wake, oftentimes gasping for air, even if just for a moment. This process may happen repeatedly throughout the night. The pattern of interrupted sleep can cause significant fatigue during the day, as well as early morning headaches and hypertension.
Upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS) is a related condition. This occurs when the soft tissue of the throat causes the airway to narrow but not completely close. UARS also affects nighttime breathing, but not enough for the person to wake up.
So how can you tell the difference between simple snoring and sleep apnea or UARS? If your snoring is mild, consistent, doesn’t wake you, and never disrupts your breathing, it could be regular, run-of-the-mill snoring.
If your snoring is loud, irregular, wakes you or others up, or causes you to stop breathing or makes you gasp for air, it’s possible that sleep apnea is to blame. If you are experiencing these symptoms or often feel deeply drowsy or irritable after a night’s sleep, you should see your doctor.
What are the Risk Factors for Sleep Apnea?
Risk factors for sleep apnea include being overweight, male, or over the age of forty. You may also be at higher risk if you have a large tongue or tonsils, family members with sleep apnea, or nasal obstruction caused by a deviated septum, sinus problems, or allergies.
Sleep apnea is more than just a nuisance. It’s a serious medical condition that can result in high blood pressure, stroke, heart failure or heart attack, diabetes, depression, or worsening of ADHD.
Why is Sleep So Important For Your Health?
To understand why interrupted sleep has such a detrimental effect, we need to discuss the four different stages of sleep.
Stage 1: This stage is our transition from awake to asleep.
Stage 2: This is a lighter sleep when we process motor skills learned that day. We are in these first two stages for about 60% of the night.
Stage 3: This stage is also known as non-REM deep sleep. During this time, the brain processes the facts learned that day and short term memories.
Stage 4: This next and final stage is REM sleep. REM sleep is important because it is when we manage pain, anxiety, depression, and long term memories.
We go through these 4 sleep stages 3-4 times a night, and each time REM sleep gets longer.
What’s the Big Deal If My Sleep Is Getting Interrupted?
As a patient with OSA enters into the REM stage of sleep, the airway muscles become hypotonic (flaccid), which causes the airway to collapse. During this constriction, breathing becomes more difficult for the patient as less oxygen is getting into their bloodstream. This lack of oxygen causes the patient to awaken so they can catch their breath, taking them out of REM sleep. These respiratory events can occur in any sleep stage but are usually longer and deeper in oxygen desaturation when they occur during REM sleep. By not having enough REM sleep, the patient has pain and memory issues as well as an increase in anxiety and depression.
What Should I Do If I Think I Have Sleep Apnea?
Some medical and dental offices have pulse oximetry. A pulse oximeter is worn on the wrist and monitors a patient’s oxygen saturation at home during the night when they are sleeping. It is a screening tool for apnea but polysomnography, a sleep study, needs to be done to be officially diagnosed with sleep apnea. Your physician, not dentist, will refer you to a sleep center to get a study done. A sleep study verifies that you have apnea by measuring how many apneic episodes you have and the severity of them.
Is Sleep Apnea Treatable?
Sleep apnea is treatable. Lifestyle changes such as losing weight and avoiding alcohol may help improve your condition. Your doctor may also recommend surgery or that you use a C-PAP machine at night to help keep your airway open.
Other available treatments for sleep apnea:
CPAP Machine
The main treatment course for patients with sleep apnea is called a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy. CPAP involves wearing a mask or nasal cannula at night that uses mild air pressure to keep the airway open. A sleep study is usually done again to make sure the CPAP is reducing a patient’s apneic episodes. CPAP is the best thing for sleep apnea but some patients cannot tolerate the treatment.
Repositioning Splint
If the patient has mild or moderate sleep apnea, Affiliated Dentists can make a repositioning splint that covers the upper and lower teeth and positions the jaw forward while asleep. This is when the dentist becomes involved because they fabricate the splint. A sleep study will also need to be done first, and again after the splint has been made to make sure it is working properly.
Communication Between Doctor and Patient Is Key When It Comes to Sleep Apnea
The important thing for patients that may have sleep apnea is to talk to their physician and get a diagnosis. From there, a patient will need to involve both their dentist and physician to address sleep apnea and its side effects.
Sleep Apnea Treatment in Madison, Wisconsin
For patients unable to wear C-PAP units, Affiliated Dentists offers sleep apnea oral appliances. Mandibular advancement therapy by use of positioning appliances is very effective in treating snoring and moderate sleep disorders. Most medical insurances will cover benefits upon a referral from a physician’s office.
If you are interested in sleep apnea treatment, please contact us today.
Do I Have Sleep Apnea? brought to you by Dr. Mark Gustavson
