This is a common question among patients frustrated by sleepless nights and drowsy days. If you snore, you may or may not have sleep apnea. If you have sleep apnea, you probably snore. Let me explain.
While you sleep, oral structures can relax and partially block your airway. When this happens, your breath vibrates loose tissues as it is forced in and out of the body. Snoring is the sound produced by the vibrations.
Sleep apnea literally means that you stop breathing while you sleep. Instead of partial blockage, relaxed or improperly positioned oral structures completely block your airway. In many cases, sleep apnea sufferers stop breathing for periods of 10 seconds or longer, and this happens repeatedly throughout the night.
When your brain senses oxygen deficiency, it alerts your body to wake up and take a breath. Some people wake up just enough to disrupt deep, REM sleep, while others awake fully and quickly, choking or gasping for air.
Without sufficient REM sleep, the human body and brain simply don’t function at a high level. Sleep apnea patients may experience:
- Daytime drowsiness
- Falling asleep at inappropriate times
- Frustration
- Depression
- Forgetfulness
- Irritability
- Low productivity
Fortunately, I can help. Sure, I’m a dentist, but the form of sleep apnea described here, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is often caused when the lower jaw relaxes, then soft tissues in the throat move in front of the airway. As a dentist, I understand the anatomy of oral structures, including the jaw (mandible). My sleep apnea and snoring patients have found great success with Somnomed, an oral appliance that holds the lower jaw slightly forward and helps prevent airway blockage.
You don’t have to muddle through life feeling like a zombie! Instead, call me, Dr. Marvin Berlin, and we’ll stop your sleep apnea so that you can experience The Best Rest of Your Life. My two McKinney sleep apnea and dentistry offices are conveniently located at 1716 West Virginia and 5601 Virginia Parkway. Let’s improve your life.
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