Albertville and Gadsden, Alabama
Sleep apnea is a very common condition that causes you to stop breathing while you sleep. Usually, people with sleep apnea stop breathing for ten seconds or more, many times during the night. During these periods, your body senses that it is running out of oxygen. If low oxygen levels are detected in the body, it will try to compensate by quickening its pulse, raising your blood pressure, and even waking you to try to find oxygen.
Snoring is a common symptom, often noticed by loved ones. If untreated, sleep apnea can lead to dangerous health conditions. Therefore, it is crucial that you seek treatment from a sleep apnea dentist and a sleep apnea trained doctor as soon as possible.
What Happens in Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea causes you to wake continually up throughout the night. Typically, you do not rouse completely and do not remember that you were constantly waking. In obstructive sleep apnea, the soft tissue at the back of your throat collapses, blocking your airway. As a result, less oxygen reaches your brain. When your brain senses the lack of oxygen, it rouses you from sleep so that you can resume proper breathing.
After you fall back asleep, your mouth and jaw relax again, allowing your airway to become blocked, and the process starts all over.
Sleep Apnea Health Risks
If your sleep apnea symptoms of brain fog, irritability, and generally diminished quality of life are not enough to motivate you, know that you can eventually develop serious, even fatal, health problems including:
- Stroke
- Heart attack
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Hypertension
- Fibromyalgia
- Acid reflux
- Loss of libido
- Impotence
- Short-term memory loss
Sleep Apnea Treatments
Albertville sleep apnea dentists Dr. Jonathan Renfroe and Dr. Josh Conley offer oral appliance therapy as a treatment for sleep apnea.
If you, your child, or your mate shows signs of sleep apnea or sleep deprivation, please contact our Albertville sleep apnea dentists today to schedule your initial appointment. Wall Street Dentistry serves patients in the Albertville and Gadsden, Alabama areas.
