Dangers of Sleep Apnea – Coronado, CA

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When your partner complains about your constant snoring, you may think that this is just an annoying habit. However, the situation could be much more serious. Did you know that sleep apnea is the most common sleep disorder, but only half (or even fewer) of the cases are properly diagnosed each year? That’s millions of people suffering from a consistent lack of quality sleep and putting their overall well-being at risk. If you think you may have sleep apnea, you need to seek professional treatment as soon as possible to reduce the chances of life-threatening health and safety consequences.

Symptoms of Sleep Apnea

How do you know whether you have sleep apnea? Here are the most prevalent signs:

  • Excessive daytime drowsiness.
  • Chronic, loud snoring.
  • Mood swings or depression.
  • Memory loss or lack of focus.
  • Loss of libido.
  • Waking gasping for breath or choking.

Potential Safety Risks

When you don’t receive the quality sleep your body needs from sleep apnea, you can experience excessive fatigue, moodiness, inability to concentrate or remember, and chronic headaches. As a result, unintentional accidents are more likely to occur. In fact, driving while drowsy has been proven to be almost as dangerous as driving while under the influence of alcohol. Also, although often not deadly, mistakes at work and trouble in relationship become more likely to occur as well.

Potential Health Risks

If sleep apnea goes untreated for a prolonged period of time, it can have a devastating effect on the body. For instance, those with sleep apnea are significantly more likely to develop cardiovascular disease and experience events like a heart attack or stroke. When the body has an apnea event, the brain triggers a spike in blood pressure and an increase in heart rate to wake the body up enough to resume breathing. Without treatment, these episodes can become more frequent and even fatal.

How We Can Help

Could you have sleep apnea? If you think so, let us know, and we’ll refer you to local sleep physicians who can diagnose your condition. Traditionally, sleep apnea is treated using a CPAP machine; however, many patients find that this treatment disrupts their sleep more than the condition itself. We offer a different effective option: oral appliance therapy. This simple appliance is custom-made to fit you and repositions the lower jaw so that the airways can remain open and clear. As a result, you are able to achieve deep, restful sleep.