Millions of Americans suffer from sleep apnea. Sadly, sleep apnea doesn’t only affect the person who has it, but also other people in the household. If you, and/or your family members are losing sleep as a result of sleep apnea, your local Santa Monica dentist can help!
What is sleep apnea?
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services defines sleep apnea as “a common disorder in which you have one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while you sleep.” A pause can last from seconds to minutes, and can happen multiple times per night. This issue prevents the person who suffers from it from getting a good night’s sleep. Sleep apnea often causes snoring, which can keep family members or roommates who live in the same house from sleeping well also.
Symptoms of sleep apnea:
If you suffer from these symptoms of sleep apnea, contact your Santa Monica dentist today for help.
- Excessive daytime sleepiness
- Depression
- Increased risk of work-related or driving accidents
- Increased risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, obesity and diabetes
- Heartburn
- Insomnia
- Rapid weight gain
- Morning headaches
Treatments for sleep apnea
Although sleep apnea is a serious condition, fortunately, a trained Santa Monica dentist can recommend an easy solution. Your local dentist can offer oral devices, such as the ones below, as reported by The New York Times.
- “Mandibular advancement device (MAD). This is the most widely used dental device for sleep apnea. It is similar in appearance to a sports mouth guard. MAD forces the lower jaw forward and down slightly, which keeps the airway open.
- Tongue retraining device (TRD). This is a splint that holds the tongue in place to keep the airway as open as possible”
For more information about sleep apnea solutions, contact us today.
