You’ve been exhausted for weeks, but you don’t know why. Even if you sleep more than eight hours a night, you’re still wiped out all day. You don’t snore, but your spouse told you the other day that he witnessed you stop breathing while you were asleep – this scared both of you. After having a sleep study done, you get diagnosed with sleep apnea in Wesley Chapel. The CPAP isn’t working though – it irritates your nose and throat and the tubing is cumbersome, at best. But luckily for you, Dr. Jay Nelson of Nelson Dentistry and Dental Sleep Medicine is right on the border of your town and provides dental solutions for this sleep disorder. Find out more about this condition and how Dr. Nelson can help in this post.
What Is Sleep Apnea?
Dr. Nelson explains that sleep apnea is the second most common sleep disorder, right after insomnia. Most people who have this suffer from obstructive sleep apnea in Wesley Chapel– when you sleep, your tongue and lower jaw relax, sliding against the back of your throat and preventing you from breathing correctly.
Since your body is wise enough to know you’re not getting enough air, you’ll wake up, but often not remember it. Your brain will make you only conscious enough to start breathing properly and these “micro-arousals” can happen hundreds of times a night – leaving you exhausted, but without a clear reason for why you’re so tired.
What Are The Common Symptoms Of Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea has many common signs and symptoms:
- Gaps or elongated pauses in breathing when you sleep – usually noticed by your partner.
- Waking up gasping for air or with an asthma attack.
- Waking up to urinate.
- Morning headaches.
- Exhaustion, even after sleeping 8 or more hours.
- Sleepiness while driving.
- Craving carbs and sweets for energy.
- Depression, irritability, forgetfulness, and trouble concentrating.
- Decreased interest in sex.
- Bear in mind that you don’t have to snore to have sleep apnea.
Does this sound like you? Take this sleep apnea quiz to see if you should seek treatment for this disorder.
Are There Dental Treatments For Sleep Apnea?
Yes! As the leading expert in dental sleep medicine, it’s worth the short drive from Wesley Chapel to work with Dr. Nelson, who is a Diplomate of the American Sleep and Breathing Academy. Rather than putting your health at risk by discontinuing the use of your annoying CPAP machine, Dr. Nelson can prescribe a customized oral appliance that will shift your lower jaw and tongue out of the way while you sleep. This device is similar to a nightguard, exceedingly comfortable, and much more economical than a CPAP machine. And, it’s effective – custom oral appliance therapy for sleep apnea works well for about 80% of patients.
Now that you know how we can give you the rest you deserve, schedule your appointment with Nelson Dentistry and Dental Sleep Medicine to get back to sleep!