Do you snore at night and also wake in the morning feeling more exhausted than when you dozed off the evening prior? If so, you might have sleep apnea. People with this condition experience repeated interruptions in their breathing, either from blockages of failed brain signals, which keep them from completing their nightly sleep cycles.
Many patients consider their nighttime disorder to be more of a frustration than a health hazard, but there can be serious consequences if it goes untreated for too long. Continue reading to learn 3 reasons to contact our sleep dentist sooner rather than later!
Concern #1: High Blood Pressure
The most common type of this disorder, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), occurs when soft tissues in the back of your throat relax too much or you have overly narrow airways that easily become blocked. The sudden lack of oxygen triggers your sympathetic nervous system’s “fight-or-flight” response to prepare your body for action to wake it up.
This increases your heart rate and blood pressure, even as the drops in your blood oxygen levels put added stress on your system. This can increase blood flow to your airways, which makes them even more prone to collapse, worsening your sleep apnea symptoms. Fortunately, those who seek treatment often see improvements in their blood pressure.
Concern #2: Heart Disease
Would you be surprised to learn that those with OSA are also more likely to have heart attacks? The repeated starting and stopping of your inhalations and exhalations at night disrupts how your body takes in oxygen, forces your heart to work harder, and puts added stress on your blood vessels.
As your heart rate and blood pressure frequently spike with frequent interruptions to your breathing, you become more vulnerable to heart attacks and stroke, which can be fatal in extreme circumstances.
Concern #3: Type 2 Diabetes
Another way your body responds to the frequent interruptions in your breathing is by filling your system with stress hormones, like cortisol and adrenaline, to prepare your body for action. Unfortunately, this can disrupt your body’s natural hormone regulation which can result in a decrease in insulin activity.
As a result, an estimated 80% or more of patients diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes also have obstructive sleep apnea. In fact, these two conditions are so closely associated that treating and managing one can often help reduce symptoms from the other.
If you suspect that your OSA might be contributing to more serious health concerns, contacting your sleep dentist for treatment can help you get a good night’s rest to improve your general well-being.
Meet the Author
Dr. David Lloyd is passionate about helping people in Daytona Beach improve their lives by providing customized treatments for sleep apnea. He earned his dental degree from the Emory University School of Dentistry and is qualified by the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine. He takes the time to learn about your unique concerns and sleep patterns, then provides oral appliances designed to fit like a glove to help prevent airway blockages and reduce your symptoms. You can request an appointment on the website or call (386) 253-0115.