Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder where there is a 10 second or longer interval in between each breath. Sleep apnea increases the risks of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure and many more negative health effects, as well as motor vehicle accidents.
To be considered apneic, there must also be a neurological arousal, which is a change in EEG frequency of more than 3 seconds, and the blood oxygen must be desaturated by 3-4% or more. A significant case of sleep apnea has 5 or more of these apneic episodes each hour.
Millions of people today suffer from sleep apnea, and most of them are unaware of it. Side-effects such as drowsiness, headaches and fatigue may lead a person to look for the root cause of their problems. Yet, it can be tricky to determine if you have sleep apnea since the symptoms occur while you are asleep, and can easily be mistaken for other, more common and less serious ailments.
Our modern world is responsible for many negative health problems. As a result, simply waking up and feeling unrested can be linked to many causes. Fortunately, more and more attention is being given to a healthy night of sleep, as evidenced by Arianna Huffington’s New York Times bestselling book, The Sleep Revolution. Still, sleep disorders can go on for many years without being identified.
One simple test is to see how tired you get when you are bored. If you’ve spent six or seven hours the previous night, seemingly asleep, and yet get tired relatively quickly during the day, chances are you have a sleep disorder.
Obviously, nighttime is the best time to check for sleep apnea symptoms. Sensible changes to lifestyle habits like reducing or abstaining from alcohol, narcotics and cigarettes can give you a better night sleep and help symptoms be more easily identified. If you have a spouse or partner that sleeps beside you, ask them to monitor your breathing while sleep. If you consistently stop breathing for stretches during the night, this is an obvious indication of sleep apnea. Keeping a sleep journal or recording yourself with a tape recorder have also proven to be useful tools.
The information you gather can help you make a decision about seeking professional help. If you decide to see a doctor, make sure he or she is an expert in the field of dental sleep medicine so that you receive an accurate diagnosis. A good nights sleep may be closer than you think. For more information about sleep apnea, give us call today.