Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that disrupts your sleep cycle by restricting air flow. Patients who suffer from sleep disorders are known to snore loudly and wake often throughout the night. This often leads to exhaustion and extreme sleepiness throughout the day. Are you tired of sleep apnea? There are several treatment options so you can be able to get a full nights rest, but your dentist will have to monitor the severity of your condition first. Diagnosing sleep disorders is done through a sleep study – in this case, you would sleep while machines monitor your oxygen levels throughout your body.
What Are Your Treatment Options?
Depending on the severity of your condition, your dentist may recommend a couple different options to you.
For mild sleep apnea, usually, a few lifestyle changes can help to get you sleeping through the night. Habits such as smoking or chewing tobacco can increase your risk for sleep apnea, so it is recommended that you quit as part of your lifestyle change. Nasal allergies can also contribute to your sleep apnea, if this is the case your dentist will probably want to treat your allergies. Otherwise, your dentist may recommend making modifications to your diet and exercise regime.
For moderate conditions, you could benefit from using a CPAP machine. A Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machine ensures that oxygen is continuously pushed into your airway with enough pressure to keep it open throughout the night. If the CPAP doesn’t work for you, there are other positive airway pressure devices that you can try.
For severe conditions, your dentist may recommend a surgical procedure to remove soft tissues that could be interfering with your airway.
If you have consistent daytime sleepiness, you may want to talk to your doctor about a sleep study.
