Sleep Apnea and Hypopnea Treatment in Oak Ridges, Richmond Hill

Obstructive sleep apnea is a sleep related breathing disorder

that involves a decrease or complete halt in airflow despite an ongoing effort to breathe. This sleep disorder occurs when the muscles relax during sleep, causing soft tissue in the back of the throat to collapse and block the upper airway. This leads to partial reductions (hypopneas) and complete pauses (apneas) in breathing that last at least 10 seconds during sleep. Most pauses last between 10 and 30 seconds, but some may persist for one minute or longer. This can lead to abrupt reductions in blood oxygen saturation, with oxygen levels falling as much as 40% or more in severe cases.

The brain responds to the lack of oxygen by alerting the body, causing a brief arousal from sleep that restores normal breathing. This pattern can occur hundreds of times in one night, obstructing one's sleeping pattern. The result is a fragmented quality of sleep that often produces an excessive level of daytime sleepiness.

Most people with Obstructive sleep apnea snore loudly and frequently because of this sleeping disorder, with periods of silence when airflow is reduced or blocked. They then make choking, snorting, or gasping sounds when their airway opens.

Sleep Apnea Prevalence

The primary effect of sleep deprivation is excessive daytime sleepiness. A sleep-deprived person is likely to fall asleep at inappropriate times

like when forced to sit still in a quiet or monotonous situation, such as during a meeting or class, or as a driver of a car driving long distances. This degree of severe sleepiness can be a safety hazard, causing drowsy driving, industrial accidents, workplace injuries, and even death. The other effects of sleep deprivation are widespread and include effects on our mood such as irritability, lack of motivation, anxiety, symptoms of depression and marital discord.

People's daily performance is most noticeably affected. It quite often is manifested as lack of concentration, attention deficits, slower reaction times, poor decisions and increased errors.

Lack of energy, fatigue, restlessness, forgetfulness and lack of coordination are all signs you may be suffering from daytime fatigue syndrome and sleep apnea.

Studies have shown that repeated disruption of sleep patterns can cause sufferers to perform motor skills at or below the levels of individuals who are legally intoxicated! So if you suffer from sleep apnea and find your sleep is repeatedly disrupted, it is likely that you could be a real threat to you and your loved ones because impaired reactions while operating machinery or driving a car can lead to disaster or even death regardless of the cause.

The other effects of sleep deprivation are widespread:

Mood Irritability Lack of motivation Anxiety Symptoms of depression

Performance Lack of concentration Cognitive impairment Attention deficits Reduced vigilance Longer reaction times Distractibility Lack of Energy Fatigue Restlessness Lack of Coordination Poor Decisions Increased Errors Forgetfulness

Health High Blood Pressure Heart Attack Erectile Dysfunction Colon Cancer Obesity Type Two Diabetes Earlier Onset Dementia

Drowsy Driving
Sleep apnea's effect on driving is a growing problem in North America, and the risk, danger and often tragic outcomes of drowsy driving are sobering. According to a survey, 9 of 10 police officers reported stopping a driver who they believed was drunk but turned out to be drowsy. Further, data indicates 80,000 individuals in the United States fall asleep at the wheel each day and there are more than 250,000 sleep-related car accidents each year. It is estimated that twenty percent of all serious transportation injuries on the nation's highways are related to sleep.

Effects of Sleep Apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea can occur in any age group, but prevalence increases between middle and older age.

About 24 percent of men and nine percent of women have the breathing symptoms of Obstructive sleep apnea with or without daytime fatigue syndrome.

About 80-90% of adults with Obstructive sleep apnea remain undiagnosed. Obstructive sleep apnea is as common as Asthma and Diabetes.

Treating Sleep Apnea
The good news is that specially trained sleep apnea dentists who work together with sleep physicians can help with effective treatment options to stop snoring, disrupted sleeping patterns, hypopnea, and sleep apnea. The solution for many patients is Oral Appliance Therapy, which is a custom made adjustable dental appliance. Snoring and Sleep Apnea are often eliminated or substantially minimized for almost all patients who use oral appliance therapy like D-SAD appliance, Narval appliance, Somnodent appliance, or My Tap appliance.

This will allow you and your bed partner to finally have a good night's sleep.

If you, or anyone you know or love snores or has Seep Apnea, make sure it isn't hazardous to your health. Help is readily available by seeing a sleep physician who specializes in sleep apnea.

See a sleep apnea physician like Dr. Stern in Oak Ridges, Richmond Hill as soon as possible and avoid the potential health risks associated with snoring, disrupted sleep patterns and Sleep Apnea. To find out if oral appliance therapy is right for you, contact a qualified dentist who has been Board Certified by the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine.

Dr. David J.Stern DDS., D, ABDSM is a Doctor of Dental Surgery and is Board Certified by The American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine as a Diplomat, a Member of The Canadian Sleep Society as well as a Member of the National Sleep Foundation (Washington D.C.) For more information please contact Dr. Stern or visit www.stoptosnore.com

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