Peaceful sleep is a sign of a healthy life.
Sleep deprivation is the root cause of many health-related issues, and it can severely disrupt the standard of living. People claim to have spent large sums of money to have a night of sound and peaceful sleep, and they are not wrong. Disorders like sleep apnea can make people uncomfortable, unhealthy, and miserable.
What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder in which a person cannot sleep peacefully due to many health-related problems and breathing issues are one of them; they experience shortness of breath, and breathing continues to stop repeatedly for a few seconds. People with sleep apnea keep waking up abruptly, although they may not even remember it.
Sleep apnea is of three types;
- Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)
- Central sleep apnea (CSA)
- Mixed sleep apnea (MSA)
Out of these, obstructive sleep apnea is the most common and causes episodes of shortness of breath in which breathing stops for a few seconds and then starts again.
Sleep apnea is a potentially severe issue that can lead to many dental and general health-related problems.
What are the warning signs of sleep apnea?
Patients with sleep apnea tend to seek medical help as soon as any of these signs occur;
- Difficulty in breathing.
- High pitched or loud snoring.
- Sleepless nights and sleepiness during the daytime.
- Waking up from sleep abruptly by choking or gasping for breath.
- Constant headache, especially in the morning due to lack of sleep.
- Night sweats.
- Difficulty in maintaining focus or concentrating.
- Severe mood swings (may lead to depression).
- Experience high blood pressure (hypertension.)
- Incompetent libido.
When a person experiences any such signs and symptoms, they should rush to the hospital without further delay.
What causes sleep apnea?
No treatment can be successful if the root cause is not found, and sleep apnea has many different possible causes. One of the most common cause is obesity, which is correlated with the soft tissue of the mouth and throat. This happens during sleep when the tongue and the throat muscles are more relaxed, and the soft tissue can block the airway. It may also occur when muscles in the back of the throat lose their tone, resulting in upper airway collapse. Obesity & increasing age are the main risk factors, especially in men. Drinking alcohol and sleeping on your back can aggravate the condition. Another factor that causes sleep apnea is stress is too. Sleep apnea disrupts the whole routine of a person and adversely affects their lifestyle; hence the reasons should be known;
In adults:
- Obesity and excessive weight cause weak throat and neck muscles causing them to be relaxed for longer durations blocking the airway.
- Hereditary; narrow neck or throat.
- Hormonal imbalance.
- Excessive use of drugs such as sedatives.
- Smoking and use of alcohol.
In children;
- Due to overbite.
- Having an infection in their tonsils.
- Congenital disabilities such as Down syndrome and Pierre-Robin syndrome.
- Child-related obesity (rare).
- Allergies.
Sleep apnea leads to compromised dental health leading to many medical and dental problems that can only be managed and treated when sleep apnea is treated. Regarding any questions, visit us at Durrani’s Dental Clinic; call us at +92-21-37227441 to book an appointment now so that we can fix your time with one of the top dentists, Dr. Shoaib Durrani.
Sleep apnea can cause teeth grinding (sleep bruxism or night grinding, leading to damaged, worn out, cracked, and highly sensitive teeth with pain and discomfort in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ).
Can Sleep Apnea be cured?
Patients are always concerned that if the treatment will work or not if they will get better or not; because a failed treatment can be their worst nightmare. Sleep apnea can be cured when the causes are removed, and when the treatment is done right. But it is a chronic condition and has to be managed throughout life.
Things to do to cure and manage sleep apnea.
- Reduce your weight.
- Try yoga to help your brain and body relax.
- Change your sleeping position or place.
- Avoid or completely stop the use of alcohol and smoking.
- Visit a dentist to manage it with oral appliances.
Sleep apnea has been reported to have been successfully managed, and patients should get it treated, returning to a peaceful living standard.
