What is Sleep Apnea?
A potentially life-threatening sleep disorder, sleep apnea causes an individual’s breathing to repeatedly start and stop during rest. While not a definite indication, snoring loudly during rest and feeling exhausted even after receiving a full night’s sleep could suggest you suffer from sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea can develop as:
- Obstructive sleep apnea, the most common form of apnea that causes the throat muscles to relax.
- Central sleep apnea, which develops when the brain doesn’t send the correct signals to the muscles that regulate breathing.
- Complex sleep apnea syndrome, which occurs when a patient has both central and obstructive sleep apnea.
If you suspect you suffer from sleep apnea, schedule a sleep apnea consultation about sleep apnea treatment in McKinney, Texas with Dr. Paul Lawrence today! Treatment can help to ease your symptoms so you rest better at night and may help to prevent the health complications linked to sleep apnea such as heart failure, stroke, hypertension, depression and diabetes.
Symptoms of Sleep Apnea
The signs and symptoms of central and obstructive sleep apnea can overlap, making diagnosing the type of apnea a patient suffers from more difficult. The most common signs of central and obstructive sleep apnea include:
- Loud snoring, which typically is associated more prominently with obstructive sleep apnea
- Periodic episodes where breathing stops during sleep as witnessed by another person
- Abruptly wakening from sleep followed by shortness of breath, which typically is associated with central sleep apnea
- Experiencing a sore throat or dry mouth after waking
- Headache in the morning after waking
- Trouble staying or getting to sleep
- Excessive sleepiness during the daytime
- Problems focusing or paying attention
- Irritability
What Causes Sleep Apnea?
Obstructive sleep apnea develops when the muscles located in the back of the throat relax during sleep. Normally, these muscles work to support the soft palate, a triangular shaped tissue that hangs from the side walls of the throat, the tonsils, the soft palate and the tongue.
Your airway in the throat narrows as the muscles relax, causing you to receive an inadequate amount of air. This could cause the oxygen levels in your blood to drop.
Your brain receives a signal that the body isn’t receiving enough oxygen and briefly stimulates you from sleep so that the airway can reopen. The time you spend awake is typically so brief that many people are unaware they ever woke up. To find out if you have sleep apnea, contact our McKinney dental practice today!
Common Questions with McKinney Sleep Apnea
- Loud snoring that disrupts the sleep of you and others
- Shortness of breath that results in you waking from sleep choking or gasping for air
- Frequent pauses in your breathing during sleep
- Daytime drowsiness that causes you to fall asleep at work, watching TV or any other daily activity
While many people don’t consider snoring a sign of something potentially life-threatening, sleep apnea can take years off of your life if not properly treated. Be sure to schedule a consultation with sleep dentist Dr. Paul Lawrence if you experience loud episodes of snoring followed by moments of silence.
As a sleep dentist in McKinney, Dr. Lawrence offers patients solutions for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea and a Free Sleep Apnea Consultation. Click here to learn more about the treatment and diagnosis of sleep apnea, and how McKinney Smiles can help you stop snoring so you can sleep better.