Sleep apnea is a type of sleep disorder that affects your breathing during sleep. It can cause side effects that negatively affect your quality of life. Treatment with Dental Specialists of New Jersey offers you a better night’s sleep and improvements in breathing.
Common sleep apnea symptoms include:
- Gasping for air.
- Breathing that starts and stops.
- Loud snoring.
- Dry mouth.
- Morning headaches.
- Problems staying asleep.
- Irritability.
- Mood swings.
- Difficulty focusing at work or school.
- Excessive daytime sleepiness.
Complications linked with sleep apnea include heart problems, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, liver problems, and other chronic conditions. Loud snoring can negatively affect your partner’s sleep, as well as your own.
Sleep apnea is common and can happen to anyone, but some factors increase your risk of having it. Examples include:
- Family history of sleep apnea.
- Having a thick neck.
- Narrowed airways.
- Excess body weight.
- Being male.
- Older age.
- Smoking.
- Alcohol use.
- Sedative use.
- Nasal congestion.
- Medical conditions.
Medical problems that could increase your risk of obstructive sleep apnea include high blood pressure, heart failure, Type 2 diabetes, and Parkinson’s disease.
Other risk factors include hormone disorders, past stroke, asthma, other chronic lung conditions, and polycystic ovary syndrome in women.
We will ask about your medical history, sleep habits, and symptoms to find out if you have sleep apnea and develop a treatment plan. We will examine your breathing and jaw and determine if you have a sleep apnea diagnosis from your medical provider. You might also undergo a sleep study.
To get treated for sleep apnea and get a better night’s rest, call our office or make an appointment online today.
