Sleep Apnea Albuquerque Snoring Treatment CPAP Alternative - ALBUQUERQUE, NM

Sleep Apnea, Grinding and Snoring Treatment in Albuquerque with CPAP Alternatives

What is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder. Untreated, sleep related breathing disorders cause people to stop breathing repeatedly at night resulting in the brain and other organs to be deprived of oxygen. This can be hundreds of times per night and can be fatal.

Lack of oxygen can be due to an obstructed airway (Obstructed Sleep Apnea, OSA) or failure…

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine now recommends oral appliances as a first line of treatment for mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a very serious life-threatening condition.

Please feel welcome to visit the American Sleep Apnea Associations Website: https://www.sleepapnea.org

Signs and Symptoms of Obstructed Sleep Apnea and Sleep Related Breathing Disorders

Patients with sleep apnea or sleep-related breathing disorders experience multiple signs such as:

These actions are signs your body is battling to keep your airway open while you sleep. But there are even more clues your body is battling for oxygen at night and in need of better quality rest!

Poor Quality Sleep:

Snoring:

Snoring is a big sign that an obstruction is occurring. Snoring is a result of the tongue and soft palate and other soft issues of the mouth collapse on themselves or on the back of the throat blocking. As air tries to pass the obstructions, it creates a vibration and sound. That sound is what we know as snoring.

Nighttime tossing and turning:

Constant repositioning of the body during sleep is a sign your body is trying to find a better position to open your airway and improve oxygen flow.

High blood pressure, heart disease and stroke:

These statistics are very alarming, but important to know. Persons with OSA are 30% more likely to have a heart attack or premature death. Men with moderate or severe OSA are 3X more likely to suffer from a stroke. 50% of sudden deaths caused by OSA happen between the hours of 10pm and 6am. Airway obstruction causes a decrease in oxygen saturation in the blood and consequently to the body’s organs. When this happens, the heart works harder to pump blood through your body trying to get as much oxygen as possible to your brain, heart and other vital organs.

Uncontrolled diabetes and weight gain

Patients with OSA have a harder time controlling and managing insulin. When the body is tired and low on energy, the body craves foods that are high in fat and sugar. This leads to uncontrolled insulin levels and increased weight gain. Additionally, during sleep there are hormones that regulate metabolism. If the body never goes into a restful REM sleep, these hormones are not initiated, thus increasing risk for unwanted weight gain and can even prevent weight loss!

Poor mental health, heightened symptoms of depression, anxiety and ADHD:

During good quality sleep your body goes through a hormonal and neurological reset to rejuvenate and recharge. With sleep apnea, good quality sleep is not achieved. This means your body never gets to reset or recharge. Mental health, or brain health, requires good quality sleep.

Poor memory:

Short term memory functions best when the brain is rested.

Low energy levels and daytime sleepiness:

When the body is constantly fighting to open the airway, rotating sleep positions, waking up gasping for air or snoring, it makes sense that a person would be chronically tired because good quality sleep is never achieved.

Dry mouth:

Dry mouth can occur from open mouth breathing at night. Normally people should breath through their nose at night. Dry mouth can increase the risk of dental cavities and other oral opportunistic infections, like candidiasis.

Low libido:

A decrease in libido is linked to patients with OSA. The Journal of Sexual Medicine compared 80 women ages 28 to 64 who have sleep apnea with 240 women without the disorder and found the women with apnea had significantly higher rates of sexual dysfunction. A 2009 study reported that 70 percent of 401 men with suspected sleep apnea also had erectile dysfunction.

Acid reflux:

About 60 percent of people with sleep apnea have chronic acid reflux, also known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Acid reflux occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter remains open and gastric acid backflows into the esophagus. This can cause heartburn, chest pain, a sour taste in the mouth and bad breath.

C-Pap vs Oral Sleep Appliance Therapy

A C-Pap machine is very effective in the management of obstructive sleep apnea. However, for patient who are C-Pap intolerant or only have a mild to moderate case of sleep apnea, an oral appliance could be a life changing improvement!

Sleep Therapies

Obstructed Sleep Apnea is a serious medical condition that must be diagnosed by a physician. With our system, patient’s can have a home sleep test done in the comfort of their own home. Our office’s sleep consultant will arrange for your home sleep test and send your results electronically to a physician. After diagnosis, our office can create you a comfortable and effective oral appliance to wear at night. So the only place you have to go is your home and our office! This is an efficient, effective and financially feasible way to improve your oxygen flow and intake during sleep.

Poor quality sleep negatively impacts every part of the body! Conversely, good quality sleep aided by an oral appliance can:

Decrease snoring
Decrease night time tossing and turning
Decrease risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke
Improve effectiveness of diabetes management
Improve mental health: depression, anxiety and ADHD symptoms
Improve mindfulness
Increase energy levels
Increase libido
Improve weight loss rate
Decrease acid reflux
Decrease dry mouth

Cost

So far the results have been very positive and encouraging. Patients have reported a significant improvement in their sleep, sleeping without interruption, more daytime energy, and not waking up their partners from snoring! Our office will utilize any medical and/or dental insurance benefits applicable to ensure the cost of the oral sleep appliance is affordable.

In The News!

Read published news articles about the newest advances in sleep apnea offered at Precision Dental Care.

Albuquerque dentist Dr. Craig Steichen announces sleep apnea, grinding teeth and snoring treatment with CPAP alternatives at his Uptown clinic.

See How Sleep Apnea Treatment Can Change Your Life!

Schedule your appointment today.