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SLEEP APNEA

22 million Americans suffer from Sleep Apnea. Are you one of them?

Is your snoring keeping everyone up at night?

The Facts About Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is one of the most common sleep disorders where your breathing stops because of a blockage in your airway.  It’s worsened when you are really sleepy, drink alcohol or sleep on your back.  These three factors allow the muscles in your throat to relax, closing your airway.   Without air, oxygen can’t reach your heart, your organs, and your brain.  Your brain reacts to this by waking you up very briefly.  The scary part is this may happen several times each night without you ever knowing.  This quick arousal pulls you out of whatever sleep stage you were in, causing a disruptive pattern that affects your overall sleep quality. 

People with sleep apnea won’t remember their dreams in the morning because they don’t reach stage 4 sleep where REM sleep happens and dreams occur.

If you wake up feeling tired and lack energy throughout the day, even if you think you got a full night’s sleep, you may suffer from sleep apnea.

Most Common Symptoms

  • Snoring
  • Excessive daytime sleepiness
  • High blood pressure
  • Not dreaming

Other Symptoms

  • Acid Reflux (GERD – Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease)
  • Morning headaches
  • Diabetes
  • Sexual dysfunction
  • Social problems/irritability

Risk Factors

  • Obesity increases the risk of sleep apnea because fat deposits around your neck can narrow your airway which will obstruct your breathing.
  • People with naturally thick necks have narrower airways.
  • Men are twice as likely as women to have sleep apnea.
  • Sleep apnea happens more often in older adults.
  • Having family members with sleep apnea might increase your risk.
  • Use of alcohol, sedatives or tranquilizers relaxes the muscles in your throat which can worsen sleep apnea.
  • If you have difficulty breathing through your nose, you are more likely to develop sleep apnea.

Complications

  • Daytime drowsiness can be due to multiple awakenings throughout the night which prevent normal, deep sleep. This causes trouble concentrating and puts you at risk of falling asleep while driving and during other normal daily activities.
  • High blood pressure or heart problems are due to low levels of oxygen during sleep apnea. Sleep apnea increases your risk of high blood pressure, strokes or a life ending heart attack.
  • Loud snoring and/or gasping/choking during sleep may disrupt your partner’s sleep.

Treatment Options

CPAP Machine

One option is to use a bulky CPAP machine, which is a mask you wear over your nose, or over both your nose and mouth, while sleeping. CPAP machines can be loud and it can take time learning to adjust to sleeping with a mask. It requires regular maintenance to keep the equipment safe and clean to use. It can also cause dry nose and throat, abdominal bloating, nasal congestion and irritation of the skin and eyes.

However, Dr. Lu treats sleep apnea with an easy-to-use oral device which will keep your airway open. The oral device fits comfortably in your mouth, requires minimal maintenance and is FDA approved. It’s also covered by most medical insurance plans.

Call Dr. Lu today for a FREE consultation (714) 55-SLEEP (75337).

A good night’s sleep may be a phone call away.