Causes & Tips to Handle Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is when the muscles at the back of your throat also fall asleep with you. That’s putting sleep apnea in the simplest of terms. 

A condition where your breathing frequently pauses and resumes while you sleep. This may limit the amount of oxygen your body receives. You can be gasping for breath and snoring all night, causing disturbed sleep. This leads to drowsiness and lethargy all day. 

Dentists play a significant role in sleep apnea treatment. With the results of a thorough sleep study, a dentist can suggest sleep apnea dental care that improves the condition.

Types:

Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when your upper airway repeatedly becomes blocked while asleep, partly or completely blocking airflow. Obstructive sleep apnea is fairly common. 

Central sleep apnea occurs when your brain fails to send the necessary signals for breathing.

Causes of sleep apnea:

We shall discuss obstructive sleep apnea here since that is common and treatable by the dentist. There are conditions that block airflow through your upper airways during sleep. The throat muscles relax, causing the airway to constrict; as a result, the tongue may fall backward and obstruct your airway.

These conditions include:

Nose congestions–flu, rhinitis, deviated nasal septum (DNS), nasal polyps.

Smoking: studies show that smokers are three times more susceptible to it. Tobacco use can increase inflammation and mucus in the upper air passages.

Large tonsils or adenoids are a leading cause of obstructive sleep apnea.

Medical conditions: asthma, COPD, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, hormonal changes, polycystic ovary syndrome episodes of stroke, and diabetes are all reasons that can cause obstructive sleep apnea.

Sleeping pills (sedatives), alcohol, and substance abuse can relax the body's muscles more than warranted.

Obesity is a leading cause. Fat accumulates around the neck constricting the airways.

Narrow airways from birth: people with broad necks usually have slender airways.

Age: Muscles lose their tone with age. Such issues are common in old age, especially in men.

Hereditary: Needless to say, like other things, sleep apnea can also run in the family.

Why is sleep apnea a potentially risky condition?

Fatigue and drowsiness all day long. People who suffer from sleep apnea meet with car accidents, and fire mishaps due to sudden episodes of falling asleep. They are irritated and low in spirits.

Increases the likelihood of developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

Repeated states of low blood oxygen, known as hypoxia, worsen the risk of irregular heartbeats, and can even cause cardiac arrest in the future.

Low blood oxygen levels, force the heart to pump faster and strains the blood vessels to push more blood. Eventually, it all culminates in hypertension.

Liver enzymes are also altered and deranged, causing non-alcoholic liver cirrhosis.

Last but not the least, it is an absolute nuisance for anyone to sleep next to a patient with untreated sleep apnea.

Magnolia dental Waterdown has a few comprehensive tips to offer you for sleep apnea treatment and sleep apnea dental care.

Lifestyle changes: 

Loose excess weight and stop smoking/drug abuse. Yes, it is easier said than done, but be motivated, understand the repercussions, and visit a therapist if needed. Eat healthily and exercise regularly to implement all good habits.

Treating any nasal condition:

Nasal allergies, throat itches, and nasal polyps are all treatable. Accompanied by a disciplined lifestyle, these will cure in no time.

Breathing devices: Machines like CPAP, BiPAP, and APAP all work towards maintaining positive airflow. CPAP (Continuous positive airway pressure ) comes with a mask covering your nose or mouth while you sleep. The mask is connected to a machine that continuously blows air into your nose. This airflow keeps your throat open, allowing you to breathe normally. The most common treatment for sleep apnea is CPAP.

BiPAP is similar to CPAP. But the airflow changes when you breathe in and out (‘bi’ meaning both ways). BiPAP is most commonly used for COPD patients. It is usually safe, but it is not appropriate for everyone.

When CPAPs do not work, automatic positive airway pressure (APAP) is used. It keeps your airway open while you sleep so that nothing can get in. Based on your needs, the APAP machine adjusts the amount of pressure you receive while sleeping.

Dental appliances: Oral devices are custom-made appliances that are typically worn in the mouth while sleeping. They open the upper airway while sleeping. To discuss a few:

Sleep apnea dental guard: These are mandibular repositioning methods to maintain the position of the lower jaw while you sleep. They look like clear splints made on the custom model of your mouth. They fit snugly onto the upper and lower teeth just like aligners and have a comfortable soft prop joining them, which prevents any jaw movements while you sleep.

Tongue retaining devices: Mouthpieces that hold the tongue forward to prevent it from obstructing the upper airway.

Surgery: Surgery of the tonsils, the adenoids, the uvula (the rearmost end of the soft palate), or jaw repositioning can help the cause. Surgery should be followed by extensive physiotherapy for the best results.

Conclusion:

Self-care for sleep apnea is also important. Using humidifiers while sleeping, meditation before sleep and regular facial muscle, jaw, and tongue exercises can also go a long way in sleep apnea treatment.