What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a condition marked by abnormal breathing during sleep. Patients suffering from sleep apnea have multiple extended pauses in breathing while they sleep. These temporary breathing lapses cause lower-quality sleep and affect the body’s supply of oxygen, leading to potentially serious health consequences.
Sleep apnea is one of the most common sleep disorders in the United States. It can affect children, adults, and people of both sexes, although it’s more common in men. Due to sleep apnea’s prevalence and health impact, it’s important to learn more about it, especially if you or a loved one suspects they have the disorder.
Luckily, Dr. Argyle provides oral appliance therapy and other solutions to treat sleep apnea to help you get the healthy, restorative sleep you need.
The Different Types of Sleep Apnea
There are three different types of sleep apnea that patients can develop:
- Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA): OSA occurs when the airway at the back of the throat becomes physically blocked. That obstruction causes temporary lapses in breathing.
- Central sleep apnea (CSA): CSA happens because there’s a problem with the brain’s system for controlling muscles involved in respiration, leading to slower and shallower breathing.
- Mixed sleep apnea: When a person has both OSA and CSA at the same time, it’s referred to as mixed sleep apnea or complex sleep apnea.
Signs and Symptoms
The main indication of sleep apnea is repeatedly gasping for air throughout the night. Additional symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea include:
- Excessive daytime sleepiness
- Loud snoring
- Awakening with a dry mouth or sore throat
- Morning headaches
- Difficulty concentrating during the day
- Limited attention span or difficulty thinking clearly
- Experiencing mood changes, such as irritability or depression
- High blood pressure
- Nighttime sweating
- Frequent need to wake up to urinate (nocturia)
- Decreased libido
- Erectile dysfunction
In general, a person with sleep apnea isn’t aware of their breathing problems at night. For that reason, they often only find out about the issue from their bed partner, family member, or roommate. Excessive daytime sleepiness is the most likely symptom to be noticed by people with sleep apnea that live alone.
How Sleep Apnea Affects Your Health
Not only does sleep apnea disturb your sleep quality, but it also compromises the state of your mental and physical health. The disorder causes a drop in sufficient oxygen levels, impacting your ability to complete everyday tasks.
The lack of oxygen and sleep weakens your immune system, making you more susceptible to disease, infection, and possible mental disorders. This increases your risk of experiencing:
- Heart disease and strokes
- High blood pressure
- Obesity
- Type 2 diabetes
Read more below about other areas where sleep apnea could be affecting you or your loved ones.
Mental Health
The main indication of sleep apnea is repeatedly gasping for air throughout the night. Additional symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea include:
- Difficulty concentrating
- Emotion Regulation
- Memory trouble
- Depression, anxiety, and more
Weight
Your weight can seriously impact both your health and sleep disorder. Weight problems can cause breathing issues during sleep as well as lead to additional health issues linked to sleep apnea, such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and more. Luckily, maintaining regular exercises and a well-balanced diet can be an effective, long-term treatment for those who are overweight and suffering from sleep apnea.
Sleep Apnea in Children
While not as common, sleep apnea can occur in children. It’s important to understand the signs of sleep apnea in children since they differ slightly from the signs in adults. If your child has been diagnosed with sleep apnea, Dr. Argyle provides effective treatment options to ensure your child gets the care they need.
ADHD
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) shares very similar symptoms to sleep apnea, causing common misdiagnoses. Some shared symptoms include snoring, fatigue, irritability, lack of motivation, and more. It’s important to understand the differences between sleep apnea and ADHD, ensuring you get the right diagnosis.
Relationships
Untreated sleep apnea not only affects you but can also negatively impact your sleeping partner. Due to loud snoring being such a prominent symptom of sleep apnea, it can disrupt your partner, causing them to lose quality sleep. Learn more about how sleep apnea can put a strain on you and your relationship.
Pregnancy
Suffering from sleep apnea during pregnancy can affect both you and your unborn baby. It’s important to understand what pregnancy-related sleep apnea can look like and find an effective treatment solution that will keep both you and your child healthy. Learn how Dr. Argyle can work with you to ensure that you achieve a quality night’s sleep.
Diagnosing Sleep Apnea
The most accurate way of diagnosing sleep apnea is through sleep tests.
Polysomnography
During this sleep study, you’re hooked up to equipment that monitors your heart, lungs, brain activity, breathing patterns, arm and leg movements, and blood oxygen levels. You may have a full-night sleep study or a split-night sleep study. In a split-night sleep study, you’ll be monitored during the first half of the night. If you’re diagnosed with OSA, staff may wake you and give you continuous positive airway pressure for the second half of the night.
Polysomnography can help your doctor diagnose OSA and adjust positive airway pressure therapy, if appropriate. This sleep study can help rule out other sleep disorders that can cause excessive sleepiness but require different treatments, such as leg movements during sleep (periodic limb movements) or sudden bouts of sleep during the day (narcolepsy)
At-Home Sleep Tests
Under certain circumstances, your doctor may provide you with an at-home version of polysomnography to diagnose OSA. This test usually involves measurement of airflow, breathing problems, and blood oxygen levels, and possibly limb movements and snoring intensity.
Schedule an Appointment With Dr. Argyle
You don’t have to suffer from sleep apnea any longer. Dr. Argyle features oral appliance therapy and other solutions, to treat sleep apnea. Oral appliances are comfortable, custom-made, and effective, providing patients with the relief they need.
If you’re ready to get control of your sleep apnea and wake up every morning feeling refreshed, visit Argyle Dental Sleep and TMJ. By scheduling an appointment with Dr. Argyle, he’ll take the time to discuss your sleep apnea symptoms and develop a customized treatment plan specific to your needs. Contact our Syracuse office today by calling (801) 416-3562 and one of our knowledgeable staff members will be happy to assist you.