It seems that every time we turn on the television or open our laptop, a news story about sleep apnea is featured. And it’s no wonder. A good night’s sleep is critical to our mental and physical well-being.
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder in which a person’s breathing repeatedly stops and starts throughout the night. If you feel tired in the morning after sleeping for a full night and you snore, you might have sleep apnea.
What are the symptoms and signs of sleep apnea?
- Loud snoring
- Frequent episodes when you stop breathing when asleep
- Waking up tired
- Consistent and excessive daytime sleepiness
- Insomnia
- Irregular breathing, gasping, coughing, or choking during sleep
- Low energy
- Morning headaches
- Depression
- Getting up to go to the bathroom multiple times during the night
- Large neck size
- Gastroesophageal Reflux
Why see a dentist for sleep apnea?
Dentists are at the forefront of sleep and breathing issues. At Albany Smiles, we work with the whole head and neck anatomical structures daily. We can create space in the mouth and treat the root cause of the problem – instead of just dealing with the symptoms like a CPAP machine does. Restructuring the jaws and creating space deals with the root cause and opens the airway long-term.
Kids can suffer from sleep apnea, too!
Unfortunately, kids are wrongly diagnosed 50% of the time with ADD or ADHD when they actually have sleep apnea. In many cases, children are not breathing correctly and getting the oxygen they need, which causes them to suffer in school. They may even act out.
Bedwetting in children is often a result of a lack of oxygen while sleeping. If the child is suffering while sleeping from lack of oxygen, then the body will grab oxygen from somewhere in the body where it’s not currently being used. The body takes the oxygen from the bladder, which causes the child to void their bladder.
Parents are often amazed that once children start treatment for sleep apnea, bedwetting stops, and the child stops acting out in school. Grades even rise!
For this reason, Dr. Frank recommends that both adults and children get checked out for sleep apnea.
We’ve presented a lot of information on this page about how we can help you with sleep apnea. If you have any questions or concerns at all, please don’t hesitate to call us or drop by our dental practice in the Greater Capital Region of NY.
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