Sleep Apnea and Snoring
About 90 million Americans experience some form of snoring or sleep apnea, according to the National Sleep Foundation.
While snoring can be annoying, it is relatively harmless. Sleep apnea, on the other hand, should be addressed to prevent more serious problems down the road.
Sleep apnea, by definition, is the failure to achieve oronasal airflow for at least 10 seconds at a time while sleeping. This can occur five to 10 times per hour in people who have obstructive sleep apnea. The cessation of breathing is caused by the tongue, tonsils or fatty tissue in the throat blocking a person’s airway to their lungs.
Types of Sleep Apnea
There are two types of sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common. With this type, air quits flowing through the mouth and nose, yet the effort to breathe put forth by the abdomen and the throat continue. The result is that the person wakes up and usually snorts or grunts loudly while gasping for air. Then the person falls back asleep, often without knowing any of this has occurred.
A second type of sleep apnea is central sleep apnea. This is brought on by a brainstem injury, such as a viral brain infection, brain tumor, stroke or chronic respiratory disease.
Treating Sleep Apnea
For many sleep apnea patients, correction is simple. Oral appliances made their way into the treatment arena in the mid-1990s and have become a viable option for eliminating the airway obstruction that causes sleep apnea sufferers to quit breathing while they sleep. Pennsylvania Periodontist Dr. David DiGiallorenzo offers sleep apnea treatment with a custom-made device that is comfortable, flexible and thin and loosely resembles a retainer.
When worn, these devices help eliminate or reduce snoring by keeping the lower jaw in a protruded position. Patients still can open and close their mouths freely when wearing the device.
Oral devices have a better than 50 percent chance of controlling obstructive sleep apnea.
Although effective for many sleep apnea sufferers, oral devices don’t work for everyone. Another treatment option is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) for patients diagnosed with mild or moderate obstructive sleep apnea. A CPAP machine includes a mask that is worn while sleeping. Compressed air flows through tubes connected from the mask to a small box, which keeps the patient’s air passages open and enables them to continue normal breathing while sleeping.
Severe sleep apnea sufferers may require a surgical procedure known as uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, or UPPP. Other surgical treatments include tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy, tracheostomy or orthognathic surgery.
Causes and Risk Factors Associated With Obstructive Sleep Apnea
- Nasal blockage or congestion caused by sinusitis, smoking, allergies or the common cold.
- Obesity is considered a risk factor for sleep apnea, even though half of people diagnosed with OSA are not overweight.
- Large tonsils or adenoids.
- Throat and tongue muscles that relax more than normal during sleep. This can be caused by age, alcohol or sedatives.
- Certain physical attributes, such as the shape of the neck and head, deviated septum, receding chin or enlarged tongue.
Signs of Sleep Apnea
How do you know if you have sleep apnea and might benefit from the Silent Nite? That can be a tricky question, as most people who suffer from the ailment don’t even know they have a problem because the symptoms occur only during sleep.
Typically, a spouse brings the problem to to the forefront because they have trouble sleeping due to the sleep apnea patient’s loud snoring as they struggle to achieve oronasal airflow.
These telltale signs can help a spouse determine if they might have a sleep apnea sufferer on their hands:
- Loud snoring
- Gasping and/choking during sleep
- Frequent silences during sleep
- Sudden awakenings
Snoring by itself does not always mean a person has sleep apnea, but most people who suffer from sleep apnea are loud snorers.
The Dangers of Sleep Apnea
Living with a sleep apnea sufferer is more than just annoying to you- it can be life-threatening to the sufferer. Patients who have been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea deprive their brains of oxygen while sleeping, which can cause more serious health problems down the road. Those problems include:
- Sexual dysfunction
- Stroke
- Learning/memory problems
- Heart disease
- Fibromyalgia
- High blood pressure
- Depression
- Hypertension
- Gastric reflux
Treating Snoring
The oral devices used to treat sleep apnea sufferers also effectively treat patients who snore.
If you or someone you love suffers from sleep apnea or is a snorer, call Dr. DiGiallorenzo’s office today for a free consultation to determine whether an oral device is an appropriate treatment option: (610) 409-6064 in Collegeville or (570) 322-4741 in Williamsport.
