If your partner or close family members have been complaining about your snoring, and sometimes you wake up feeling tired, you could have sleep apnea. Although people who snore in their sleep do not feel it, someone can mention it in passing or urge you to consider treatment if it is severe. However, you have to be sure you have sleep apnea to seek treatment for it. If you mention other symptoms you have been experiencing to your dentist, they can adequately examine you to recommend the best treatment for your problem.
If you have sleep apnea, a skilled dentist can help. However, they must first determine your type of sleep apnea and the best treatment. Generally, dentists use oral devices like mouthguards to keep your airway open as you sleep to reduce snoring and its related issues. Your dentist will recommend the best way to wear the device to ensure it does not cause you jaw problems.
However, you have to determine whether you have sleep apnea to seek treatment for it. This condition's apparent indications could prompt you to visit a dentist. Once you mention your suspicions to the dentist, they will examine your mouth and its underlying structures to determine the cause of your sleeping problems, the type of sleep apnea you have, and the proper treatment. Here are some of the signs you have sleep apnea:
Your Snoring is Loud
Snoring is one of the most apparent indications of sleep apnea. Although people do not experience it because they are usually in deep sleep, others, especially your partner, can mention it. People with this condition experience periods of loud snoring, sometimes accompanied by or interrupted by periods of quietness. It affects your sleep quality, causing you to wake up feeling tired and grumpy most of the time.
If someone has complained about your snoring more than once, and you actually believe it, you can talk to your dentist about it. Suppose you speak to a medical practitioner about your snoring and any other symptoms you may be experiencing. In that case, they will review your medical history and previous treatments to determine its cause. A skilled dentist will inspect your airways to determine if a blockage or swelling is making it difficult for you to breathe well in your sleep.
A medical doctor can also better diagnose your condition by studying how you sleep. They can use a monitoring device to analyze your airflow, heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and breathing patterns. This helps determine the cause of sleep apnea and its severity so that the most appropriate treatment can be recommended.
You Wake Up Gasping for Air
Typically, sleep apnea occurs when there is an obstruction in your airways that is causing you breathing problems in your sleep. The common type of obstructive sleep apnea happens when the rear muscles in your throat, including the tonsils, soft palate, and tongue, become too relaxed in your sleep. This causes the airway to narrow or close when breathing, affecting how well you breathe. Sometimes, the relaxation is so severe that it causes you to stop breathing temporarily, causing you to wake up in the middle of the night, gasping for air.
When your breathing is impacted as you sleep, your brain recognizes that you are not breathing correctly. It forces you to wake up abruptly so your airway can open and allow sufficient air into the lungs and brain. This could happen several times in one night, making it difficult to enjoy a good night's sleep.
Thus, if you have had such episodes several times, you should speak to a doctor or dentist about it. If a doctor examines you and finds out that the cause of your sleep problems is dental-related, they will recommend a visit to the dentist’s office. Fortunately, sleep apnea is a treatable condition with proper diagnosis and intervention. You will experience an improvement in your sleep patterns immediately after you start treatment.
You Are Drowsy or tired During the Day
Remember that sleep apnea affects your sleep quality. If you keep waking up in the middle of the night to breathe, your sleep is usually interrupted, causing you to wake up tired and sleepy. You will likely feel drowsy, tired, or both, regardless of how busy you are during the day. This will affect your productivity at work and in your general life.
If this is what you have been feeling lately and someone in your family was previously diagnosed with sleep apnea, you could also have it. This is because this condition is primarily genetic. You could also suspect this condition if your neck is wider or thicker than usual. People who have excess fat around their necks are at a greater risk of sleep apnea. The excess fat could block their airway or pressure it, disrupting their breathing while they sleep.
After diagnosis, your doctor or dentist will recommend proper treatment based on the cause of your apnea. Some people get better with therapy or after using an assistive device. However, others need surgery to correct an underlying problem affecting their breathing. Thus, seeking treatment immediately after you notice a problem with your productivity during the day is advisable.
You Have Terrible Headaches in the Morning
If you wake up every morning with a headache, it is an indication that there is a problem that requires immediate intervention. Headaches are not typical; there must be an underlying cause that you should investigate and handle to ensure your mornings are pain-free, relaxing, and productive. Sleep apnea is a common cause of morning headaches. You will likely experience it in the mornings if you do not have restful nights. Talking to your doctor or dentist about it could help you determine the cause of your problem and the proper treatment.
Dentists and doctors consider several possible causes of morning headaches before settling for one and recommend treatment. Your doctor could ask about your previous and current treatments and sleep patterns and discuss other potential causes of your headaches. If they suspect sleep apnea, they will discuss the various types and help you determine the exact one you could have.
For example, they could consider obstructive apnea because it is the most common. It occurs when your underlying relaxed muscles block the airways, making it difficult to breathe in your sleep. They could also consider central apnea, which occurs when your brain fails to signal correctly to the muscles responsible for breathing. Lastly, your doctor can consider treatment-emergent or complex apnea, mainly diagnosed through a sleep study.
The treatment your doctor recommends will ease your symptoms, improve your overall well-being, and reduce your risk of severe conditions like heart problems.
Your Mouth is Dry When Waking Up
If you frequently wake up with a dry mouth, you should speak to a medical professional about it. A dry mouth almost always indicates a disturbed sleep or breathing pattern. When you experience breathing difficulties in your sleep, your body automatically finds a solution, mostly to breathe through the mouth. The human body is designed to seek a solution if oxygen flow reduces naturally. People with severe apnea experience dry mouth even in the middle of the night, which causes them to drink water at night. Although drinking water, using a humidifier, or taking medications could ease this problem, a proper diagnosis of sleep apnea could be the solution you seek.
In most cases, the cause of sleep apnea is a deviated septum or an inflamed rear throat. If your doctor diagnoses you with any of these, you could require corrective surgery to treat the problem. Then, you will not experience your symptoms again. However, surgery is usually a doctor’s last recommendation after other treatments have failed to produce the desired results. Your doctor can start recommending a change in your sleep habits or lifestyle to see if your symptoms improve.
For example, if you have excess body fat, your doctor could put you on a diet or recommend exercises to shed a few pounds. They could also recommend sleeping on your side instead of your back to ensure proper breathing while deep asleep.
You Experience Unstable Mood Changes
Sleep apnea can also cause you to become irritable or experience unstable mood swings. This is because it causes repeated awakening during sleep, which affects the quality of sleep and rest you receive every night. Your unstable mood changes could affect your productivity and the quality of your relationships. Thus, you must find a quick solution for your symptoms before they affect your life.
After diagnosing you with sleep apnea, your doctor will recommend changing your lifestyle. Suppose they suspect that your sleeping patterns are being affected by an unhealthy lifestyle. In that case, your doctor will give a few recommendations to help manage your symptoms as they work towards a treatment plan that will treat the condition permanently. For example, they could recommend weight loss through exercise or diet to improve your apnea symptoms. If you are obese or your BMI is higher than recommended, losing weight could be an excellent start.
Your doctor could also recommend avoiding alcohol and other substances that make apnea worse. Before making this recommendation, they will ask you direct questions about your consumption. The doctor could also suggest avoiding sedatives for the same reason. A consistent exercise regimen can improve your sleep and overall well-being. You can start with moderate exercises, like a few minutes of walking, and intensify your workouts as your body becomes accustomed to them.
You Develop Concentration or Memory Issues
Obstructive apnea is a type of sleep apnea that affects your memory and concentration. This is mainly due to reduced oxygen levels in the brain, which damages the white matter. When your breathing is disrupted periodically every night, it could result in a severe brain problem that causes you to lose concentration or forget things easily. If you suspect that your cognitive dysfunction is happening because of your interrupted sleep patterns, you should see a doctor immediately to discuss it.
If left untreated, this type of sleep apnea can affect your verbal memory, affecting your ability to recall immediate issues or recognize things familiar to you. It could also affect your visual memory and attention. You will have difficulties paying attention and remaining focused. Eventually, it will affect your problem-solving, reasoning, and planning abilities.
You Experience Severe Symptoms Like Anxiety and Depression
Sleep apnea is also associated with severe health conditions like anxiety, stress, and depression. These conditions occur when your body cannot manage its emotions. You need to be well-relaxed to handle everyday emotions, which is impossible if you are not receiving rough sleep or rest every day. Sleep apnea disrupts your daily rest and sleep, affecting your body’s ability to handle daily stresses. Sometimes, you unconsciously accumulate these stresses and the pressures that come with it, eventually becoming depressed. You could also experience anxiety attacks and mood swings occasionally, prompting you to seek medical treatment.
An experienced doctor or dentist can diagnose sleep apnea if it is the cause of your severe symptoms. Then, they will recommend proper treatment according to the gravity of the issue and its underlying cause. If you have recently changed your lifestyle and the symptoms remain, your doctor can recommend medication to manage the condition. They can suggest an oral appliance that could open your airway while you sleep to help you breathe with minimal interruptions.
Find an Experienced Dentist Near Me
Sleep apnea is a severe condition that affects your breathing and sleeping patterns. It affects your overall well-being if left untreated. Fortunately, it is a treatable condition after a proper diagnosis. If you experience signs that suggest you or your loved one has sleep apnea in Northridge, you should visit your dentist for examination and treatment.
Our competent dentists at Northridge Advanced Dentistry are conversant with all kinds of sleep apnea. We can diagnose and recommend the best treatment to ease your symptoms or permanently treat the cause of the apnea. We also recommend some of the best strategies you can use at home to improve the quality of your sleep. Call us at 818-701-3010 to discuss your symptoms and our service further.
