Comprehensive Solutions for Sleep Apnea

Tossing and turning all night, waking up gasping for air, loud snoring that disturbs your bed partner - these are all common signs of a condition known as sleep apnea. Sleep apnea occurs when breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep, preventing you from getting truly restful, rejuvenating sleep. The consequences can be serious - increased risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and daytime fatigue that impacts work performance and quality of life. Fortunately, help is available. At Aesthetic Dentistry of Stuart, also referred to as Stuart Dentistry, located in the heart of beautiful Stuart, Florida, Dr. Crary and Dr. Rebeca Viego offer comprehensive solutions to effectively treat sleep apnea. Here's more about this disruptive condition, its causes, and how we can help you breathe easier at night!

What is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing that last 10 seconds or longer during sleep. These breathing pauses, known as apneas, can occur up to hundreds of times throughout the night. There are two main types of sleep apnea:

• Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA): The more common form, affecting 84% of patients, occurs when the throat muscles intermittently relax and block the airway during sleep. This causes loud snoring, choking, and gasping sounds as you struggle to breathe.
• Central Sleep Apnea: This type happens when the brain fails to signal the muscles to breathe due to instability in the respiratory control center. It is less common but more serious than OSA.

Sleep apnea is categorized as mild, moderate, or severe based on the number of apneas during sleep. Symptoms range from loud, chronic snoring to waking up choking or short of breath. Daytime symptoms include morning headaches, irritability, impaired concentration, and fatigue.

What Causes Sleep Apnea?

There are a number of factors that can increase the risk of developing sleep apnea:

• Being overweight, obese or having a large neck circumference constricts the airway.
• Structural abnormalities like a deviated septum, enlarged tonsils/adenoids, or receding jaw can narrow the airway space.
• Allergies, sinus issues or nasal polyps that cause congestion and blockage.
• Gender and age - being male and over 40 puts you at increased risk.
• Family history of sleep apnea.
• Use of alcohol or sedatives relaxes throat muscles.
• Smoking irritates airways.
• Hormonal changes in women due to menopause, pregnancy, or PCOS.
• Medical conditions including high blood pressure, diabetes, and endocrine disorders.

Explore the connection between sleep apnea and your overall health in our other blog.

How Sleep Apnea is Diagnosed

Since people are often unaware of their own symptoms, sleep apnea usually goes undiagnosed unless a bed partner reports loud snoring, gasping, and breathing pauses. Diagnosis requires an overnight sleep study, either in a sleep lab or sometimes done at home, to monitor breathing patterns, heart rate, and oxygen levels during sleep. This data helps confirm the diagnosis and categorize the severity of apnea.

How We Can Help

At Aesthetic Dentistry of Stuart, we offer comprehensive sleep apnea solutions to suit every patient. Treatment options include:

• Oral Appliance Therapy - Custom-fit oral devices worn during sleep to keepthe airway open. An excellent option for mild to moderate OSA.
• CPAP Alternatives - Smaller, quieter, more comfortable airway pressure devices and oral pressure therapy.
• Inspire Upper Airway Stimulation - Innovative implant procedure activates tongue muscles to open the airway.
• Maxillomandibular Advancement - Permanently widens airway by moving upper/lower jaws forward—highly effective apnea surgery.
• Lifestyle Changes - Healthy sleep habits, weight loss, avoiding alcohol/smoking, proper sleep position. We provide nutritional counseling and sleep hygiene education.

With cutting-edge technology and tailor-made treatment plans, we can help you finally achieve restful sleep and renewed energy. Call or visit our website today to schedule a consultation.

The Benefits of Treating Sleep Apnea

Living with untreated sleep apnea takes a toll both physically and mentally. It increases your risk for potentially serious health conditions:

• High Blood Pressure - Repeated drops in oxygen lead to arterial damage and hypertension. Treating sleep apnea has been clinically proven to lower blood pressure.
• Heart Disease & Stroke - Low oxygen, high blood pressure, and arrhythmias caused by sleep apnea accelerate the development of heart disease and increase the risk of heart failure.
• Type 2 Diabetes - The intermittent hypoxia and hormone changes of sleep apnea can induce insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes.
• Headaches & Migraines - Fluctuating oxygen levels and sleep fragmentation from apnea episodes commonly trigger morning headaches as well as migraine attacks.
• Cognitive Decline - Chronic sleep deprivation impairs memory, concentration, and reasoning skills. Even a single apnea night leads to reduced cognitive performance the next day.

Treatment not only helps mitigate these risks but can also help resolve symptoms like chronic fatigue, mood disorders, and lack of motivation. Patients report feeling better rested and having improved concentration, productivity, and overall quality of life.

Take Control of Your Health and Achieve Whole-Body Wellness

Now is the perfect time to start sleep apnea treatment and improve your sleep health. We offer customized solutions to help you breathe freely and sleep soundly again. Contact Aesthetic Dentistry of Stuart today to schedule a consultation. Achieving restful sleep is within reach - call us to start your journey towards better health.