At Koch Park Dental in Florissant, we often see patients who have been struggling with inadequate sleep for months or even years. Some of them are diagnosed with sleep apnea, a serious sleep disorder.
You Can’t Just “Tough It Out”
The reluctance to pursue professional treatment is sad because sleep apnea takes a toll on their health and reduces quality of life. If they are keeping someone up at night, it makes life more onerous for that person, as well.
Protect Your Health
Sleep apnea is a disorder where you have frequent, recurring gaps in breathing while you sleep. These pauses can last for up to 60 seconds and are caused by soft tissue in the back of the throat that relaxes and cuts off the airway. As you can probably imagine, when our brain is not getting enough oxygen it interferes with vital biological processes.
For some reason, many people don’t consider sleep apnea a pressing issue. Why the disconnect? We are talking about breathing, folks! There isn’t a biological function more vital than that. And poor sleep can cause a host of serious health issues. It affects performance in every aspect of life: work, hobbies, and social activities.
There are several forms of sleep apnea.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Cause: Throat muscles relax and obstruct the airway. This is the most prevalent type.
Central Sleep Apnea
Cause: The brain doesn’t send signals to the muscles that regulate breathing.
Complex Sleep Apnea Syndrome (Treatment-emergent Central Sleep Apnea)
This is a combination of both conditions described previously.
Signs of Sleep Apnea
- Loud snoring
- Sudden awakenings where you are choking or feel “out of breath”
- Pauses in breathing while sleeping (as evidenced by another person noticing the behavior)
- Sore throat or dry mouth after sleeping
- Fitful sleep
- Falling asleep while performing normal daily activities
- Inability to concentrate during the day
- Mood changes
- Awakening with a headache
- Extreme fatigue
If you experience any of these symptoms, call us at Koch Park Dental in Florissant right away. We provide effective sleep apnea treatment; it is one of our specialties. Others include dental implants. Schedule an appointment with us today.
Contact Koch Park Dental – Martin L. Buchheit, DDS:
314-837-7744
Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):
2149 Charbonier Rd
Florissant, Missouri
63033
