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3 Ways Sleep Apnea May Be Hurting Your Health
If you’re tired when you wake up, feeling drowsy throughout the day, and having trouble with your memory, are you just trying to deal with it the best you can? You may try to combat your tiredness with extra-large cups of coffee or energy drinks – yet don’t experience much improvement to your alertness or energy levels. You may have accepted this as normal for you. But these symptoms may be caused by the common condition of obstructive sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea, also known as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), results from an OSA sufferer’s own anatomy. Sleep apnea can cause disrupted sleep night after night. According to this article published by the New York Times, at least 22 million Americans struggle with sleep apnea. Leaving this condition untreated can have seriously negative effects on your health and well-being. Let’s take a look at three ways your untreated sleep apnea may be hurting you.
- Tiredness from sleep apnea is persistent and can be severe enough to cause problems with day-to-day activities. If you have undiagnosed sleep apnea, you’re feeling tired for a good reason – your sleep is constantly being disrupted. Obstructive sleep apnea causes a person to briefly stop breathing and wake to gasp for air many times each night. Many sleep apnea patients don’t remember waking up in the night, but tiredness poor memory, and difficulty concentrating are telltale signs of this condition.
Dr. Atul Malhotra, the director of Sleep Medicine at the University of California San Diego, says that with sleep apnea “you get sleepiness, lack of energy and an inability to concentrate.” These detrimental effects of sleep apnea can have consequences at work, school, and in every aspect of your life. Treating sleep apnea in Miami can help you reclaim your energy levels and get restful sleep.
- Systemic effects and metabolic disorders as a result of sleep apnea can include:
- The development of type 2 diabetes
- An increased risk of cardiovascular disease
- A greater risk of developing high blood pressure
Sleep apnea causes your oxygen levels to decrease during the night. Instead of resting and restoring itself during sleep, your body becomes stressed because of OSA and your vital organs receive less oxygen than they need. These decreased oxygen levels can affect your brain, your heart, and every other major organ in your body. Keeping your airway open throughout the night lets your oxygen levels remain stable and helps prevent the unwanted effects of sleep apnea.
- Mood problems due to poor sleep quality may be another unpleasant consequence of OSA. A poor night’s sleep can make most people a little cranky, but obstructive sleep apnea patients are living with the mood effects of poor sleep, every day. Sleep apnea causes a lack of rest, which can cause or worsen depression, irritability, and relationship problems. Studies done by scientists at the Centers for Disease Control have discovered that having OSA means you also have a greater risk of depression. Fortunately, treatment for obstructive sleep apnea in South Florida is available at the offices of Yazji Orthodontics.
At Yazji Orthodontics, we help our patients with sleep apnea get the rest they need using personalized OAT treatment. Oral Appliance Therapy for obstructive sleep apnea from the offices of Dr. Maria Yazji Orthodontics is an alternative to CPAP machine treatment and low-quality over-the-counter appliances for sleep apnea. Contact our Weston, Brickell, or Miami office today to schedule an OAT treatment consultation with Dr. Yazji. Don’t let obstructive sleep apnea harm your health – get OAT treatment from Yazji Orthodontics.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Your Risks and Treatment Options
Do you wake up feeling tired? Have you been told that you snore? These signs and symptoms may point to obstructive sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea, also known as OSA, is a common condition that impacts the sleep — and health — of many adults. But with the right OSA treatment in South Florida, obstructive sleep apnea won’t be a problem for you.
What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?
Obstructive sleep apnea means that your airway becomes partially blocked when you sleep, causing you to briefly stop breathing. This can happen many times each night and compromise the quality of your sleep.
What causes Obstructive Sleep Apnea?
The soft tissue in your throat that isn’t a problem while you are upright reposition when you lie down, causing your airway to become blocked. OSA can be the temporary side effect of a cold and can become a problem during pregnancy. OSA can develop due to allergies or weight gain. Smoking, drinking alcohol, and taking some prescription medicines may worsen obstructive sleep apnea. In some cases, genetics are thought to play a role in OSA.
What are the risks associated with Obstructive Sleep Apnea?
If obstructive sleep apnea is a persistent problem for you, your health is at risk. OSA disrupts sleep, which can have negative effects on health and well-being, including:
- Weight gain
- Increased blood pressure
- Greater risk of developing diabetes
- Greater risk of depression and mood disorders
- Daytime drowsiness
And other health risks.
Your body needs deep restorative sleep to rest and heal. Your organs need oxygen. OSA can cause poor sleep and decreases oxygen levels, leaving you tired and less healthy every morning.
How is Obstructive Sleep Apnea treated?
Treatment of OSA involves keeping the airway open continuously during sleep. A CPAP machine, over-the-counter oral devices, and oral appliance therapy are popular obstructive sleep apnea treatment methods.
A CPAP machine requires the OSA patient to wear a mask throughout the night. Many patients stop using their CPAP machine, saying it’s too loud or too inconvenient. Without treatment, their sleep apnea continues.
An over-the-counter appliance for OSA fits into the mouth and keeps the airway unobstructed during sleep. There’s no mask, no machine, no noise. But OSA patients have found that these boil-and-bite devices lose their shape after being boiled a few times, and can be uncomfortable. When a patient stops wearing their OTC sleep apnea device, their poor sleep quality returns.
OAT treatment from Dr. Maria Yazji Orthodontics is a good way to correct obstructive sleep apnea. An OAT device is custom-made for the OSA patient at one of our three South Florida offices. This device is worn every night, keeping the airway clear and letting the OSA patient get the restful sleep they need. An OAT device is made to comfortably fit each patient, retain its shape, and conveniently treat obstructive sleep apnea. Contact our Weston, Brickell, or Miami office for an OAT Treatment consultation with Dr. Yazji. Don’t let the risks of OSA harm your health — get treatment for your obstructive sleep apnea at the offices of Dr. Maria Yazji Orthodontics.
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