Sleep Apnea

The trickiest part is, most people don’t realize that they’re suffering from OSA. Usually a bed partner or family member can hear the loud snores or gasps and push their loved one to pursue treatment, so keep an ear out when the ones you care about are sleeping! That feeling of exhaustion isn’t limited to just that, your organs are worn out too! During those periods of not breathing, the amount of oxygen that is present in your heart, liver, kidneys, brain, and other organs plummets, and those very important tissues start to suffer.

Think of it like your insides are aging faster than your outsides. With that comes more systemic issues such as generalized inflammation which causes diabetes, blood pressure, and weight gain, among other things. Many patients who have been frustrated with their inability to control their blood sugar or blood pressure have found they are finally able to do so after being diagnosed and treated for sleep apnea.

There are a few ways, and some are more pleasant than others. Some patients undergo surgeries to try to open their airway more, but those are very painful experiences that are not only costly, dangerous, and unpleasant, but have limited success as well. There are less invasive ways to treat sleep apnea, including continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices.

These are typically considered the gold standard, but the problem is patient tolerance and compliance. Most people can’t stand to wear the device all night so they either don’t use it as often as they are supposed to, or not at all, or they take it off during the night without even realizing they did so. The majority of CPAP machines are bulky, uncomfortable face masks that look like something out of Top Gun and constantly blow air in your mouth. Doesn’t sound very comfortable, does it? It’s not! Luckily, there’s an alternative called an oral appliance.