Sleep Apnea and Airway Treatment
Sleep Apnea is a common disorder that causes interruptions in your breathing while you sleep. This severe condition prevents oxygen from reaching the brain, as sufferers of sleep apnea can stop breathing up to 400 times per night. As a result, they never feel fully rested and experience excessive daytime grogginess. Sleep apnea not only affects your sleep, but can also increase your risk of other health issues such as high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, cardiac arrhythmia, heart attacks, and even stroke. Patients who struggle with any form of apnea may need to speak with a doctor or dentist to learn about the different treatment options available. If you are looking to learn more about complex, obstructive, or central sleep apnea treatment in Winnetka, our team of professionals can help. Below we’ll be reviewing the three types of sleep apnea:
- Central Sleep Apnea is caused when the brain fails to signal the muscles to breathe properly. It is very uncommon, and snoring is generally not a symptom.
- Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common form of sleep apnea, which affects an estimated 1 in 7 people in the U.S. With OSA, the muscles around the throat and airway relax, causing the airway to collapse. Sometimes the tongue falls back and obstructs the airway as well. The brain can no longer receive oxygen and sends a signal to the muscles to open, often causing the person to wake up with a gasp or a snort. Most of the time, sufferers do not recall waking up during these episodes.
- Complex Sleep Apnea is a combination of central and obstructive sleep apnea.
- Waking up with dry mouth
- Morning headaches
- Excessive daytime drowsiness
- Difficulty concentrating
- Irritability
- Depression
- Decreased libido
- Difficulties with memory
- Nighttime sweating
- Gasping for air while sleeping
- Heavy snoring