Sleep Apnea Explained By ORA Oral Surgery, Sleep Disorder & Implant Studio
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by abnormal pauses in breathing or instances of abnormally low breathing during sleep. This results in a lower amount of oxygen available to your tissues and brain. Each pause in breathing, called an apnea, can last from a few seconds to minutes, and may occur 5 to 30 times or more an hour. Similarly, each abnormally low breathing event is called a hypopnea.
There are three forms of sleep apnea: central sleep apnea(CSA) .4%, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) 84%, and complex or mixed sleep apnea 15% (i.e., a combination of central and obstructive). In CSA, breathing is interrupted by a lack of respiratory effort; in OSA, the most common form, breathing is interrupted by a physical block to airflow despite respiratory effort, and snoring is common.
Regardless of type, an individual with sleep apnea is rarely aware of having difficulty breathing, even upon awakening. Sleep apnea is recognized as a problem by others witnessing the individual during episodes or is suspected because of its effects on the body. Symptoms may be present for many without identification, during which time the sufferer may become conditioned to the daytime sleepiness and fatigue associated with significant levels of sleep disturbance.
The term "sleep-disordered breathing" is commonly used in the U.S. to describe the full range of breathing problems during sleep in which not enough air reaches the lungs (hypopnea and apnea). Sleep-disordered breathing is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, high blood pressure, arrhythmias, diabetes, and sleep deprived driving or work accidents. Additionally, people with OSA show tissue loss in brain regions that help store memory, thus linking OSA with memory loss.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea is treatable with a variety of methods and you or your loved one does not need to live this way or put yourself at risk for morbidity.
At ORA Oral Surgery & Implant Studio in Chicago we are experts in the fabrication and use of FDA-approved oral appliances for the successful treatment of sleep apnea and snoring. Your custom made oral appliance will stabilize your lower jaw and tongue and reposition them in relation to your soft palate and uvula - making room for the air you need to breathe easily and sleep better!
When it comes to accessing your overall health, evaluating sleep studies (polysomnography), and coordinating with other medical doctors, our Chicago clinicians at ORA, who are both dental surgeons and physicians are the best suited to deliver the comprehensive treatment that you deserve.
For more detailed answers to everything you want to know about snoring and sleep apnea, please visit our website devoted entirely to sleep related disturbances at www.ChicagoSleepApneaSnoring.com