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Better Sleep with Sleep Apnea Therapy
Do you go to bed at a reasonable hour, sleep through the night, but still wake up exhausted? This can be extremely frustrating and make life very difficult. Sleep is an essential part of your mental and physical health, and anything that affects it can have serious consequences. What could be causing your sleep problems? It may be sleep apnea, a condition suffered by nearly 20 million Americans each night.
What Is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea occurs when a person’s breathing becomes completely blocked during the night. This can happen many times throughout the evening and does not always wake a person up. This obstruction can be caused in two ways:
The most common form of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea or OSA. It occurs when the soft tissue in a patient’s mouth and throat relaxes so much during sleep that it cuts off their airway. The other is central sleep apnea or CSA. This is neurologically based, meaning that a person’s breathing is cut off because their brain stops sending the correct signals to the body.
People can suffer from one kind of sleep apnea or a combination of both. Some common symptoms are:
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Constant fatigue
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Morning headaches
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Waking up suddenly gasping or out of breath
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Loud snoring & Insomnia
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Chest pain at night
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Depression
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High blood pressure
What Causes Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea can affect many different kinds of people, but certain risk factors are common:
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Excess weight
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Enlarged tonsils or adenoids
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Being male
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Being older
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Insomnia
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Family history
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Use of alcohol or medication
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Smoking
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Nasal congestion
What You Can Do About It
If any of these symptoms sound familiar to you, the first step to getting treatment is to have a sleep study done. This is extremely important, as 80% of the people who suffer from sleep apnea are undiagnosed. our doctor can refer you to a qualified local sleep doctor who can properly diagnose your sleep apnea in Fort Worth, TX. After this, our doctor can help you come up with an effective treatment plan.
CPAP Machine
CPAP Machine The most common type of sleep apnea therapy is a CPAP machine, which would involve you wearing a mask connected to an air pump that would continually force oxygen into your mouth and throat, preventing them from closing off. While this works well for many patients, it is not a one-size-fits-all solution.
Oral Appliance Therapy
Oral appliance therapy Another method is an approach called oral appliance therapy. A patient would use a small, custom-made mouthguard to alleviate their sleep apnea, and it would do this by gently shifting their jaw forward, preventing their airway from becoming blocked. Oral appliances also have the added benefit of being able to stop snoring, and can even be paired with a CPAP machine for combined therapy. You can get your own oral appliance from our doctor.
