What is Sleep Apnea?
Do you stay awake at night listening to your partner snoring or choking and making little gasps for breath? Or maybe you notice that you get up each morning feeling unrested with a huge headache? It’s possible you or someone you love suffer from sleep apnea. Millions of people suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, and many don’t even realize it! You also might not realize that your dentist can help treat sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is pauses in breathing or shallow, irregular breaths during your sleep. The pauses or breaks in the breath are known as ‘apnea’. They range in time duration from a few seconds to even several minutes. In severe cases, this can happen more than 5 times every hour!
How to tell if you are suffering from Sleep Apnea
- Do you snore loudly at night?
- Have you ever woken up from a deep sleep choking or gasping?
- Do you often have restless nights?
- Are you often drowsy during the day but don’t know why?
- Do you have frequent, dull headaches?
- Are you constantly relying on coffee or other caffeine just to make it through the day? (we know, that’s most of us!)
- Are you overweight?
- Do you take blood pressure or antidepressants?
Did you answer yes to more than one above? If so, it might be time to schedule a special sleep apnea consultation with Red Oak Family Dentistry.