What is Sleep Apnea?
What is it? Every year, 7 million Americans are diagnosed with sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a sleep disordered breathing condition where your airway closes and your body cannot breathe. “Apnea” is clinically defined as a 10 second period without airflow. There are two types of sleep apnea: obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea. In simple terms, obstructive sleep apnea is when your body cannot breathe normally due to a blocked airway and central sleep apnea is when your brain does not send proper signals for your body to...
read moreSleep Apnea Myths and Truths
According to the National Sleep Foundation, over 18 million Americans suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) every day. Sleep apnea is one of the most underdiagnosed disorders today, meaning those numbers could be much higher. Many myths surround this disorder leaving people unaware of the true symptoms and dangers of sleep apnea. It’s important to know the myths from the facts, as it might be you who suffers from this serious disease. Let’s take a look a look at a few myths surrounding sleep apnea. Myth # 1: Snoring is not...
read moreStages of Sleep
The earth revolves around the sun creating a period of sun light and darkness. This cyclic pattern separates our days into daytime and nighttime. Our bodies developed a daily rhythm that functions within the earthy cycle, known as the circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm relies on the sunlight and lack of sunlight in order to regulate our sleep and wake periods. When the sun sets, our brain begins to release chemicals that prepare your body for sleep. Once asleep, your bodies will undergo various stages and cycles. REM Sleep...
read more4 Things You Need to Know About Vitamin D
Vitamin D, aka “the sunshine vitamin,” is one of the most essential of vitamins.This super vitamin is responsible for healthy bones. It facilitates the absorption of calcium into bone tissue. Therefore, vitamin D deficiency is often responsible for weak bones. In children, it can lead to a condition known as rickets, where bones become fragile and malformed due to it’s poor mineralization. In adults, poor calcium absorption leads to osteoporosis. Research also shows that vitamin D deficiency puts you at higher risk for developing chronic...
read moreSnoring and Sleep Apnea
Snoring… just hearing the word alone is enough to make you cringe with annoyance. But what is snoring? To put it simply, snoring is noisy breathing during sleep. It’s prevalent among people of all ages and it affects both genders. The National Sleep Foundation states that snoring affects approximately 37 million American adults on a regular basis. Therefore, it’s very likely that either you snore or sleep close to someone who does. At any rate, snoring could be a warning signal that something is wrong with your breathing at night. Let’s...
read moreSleep Apnea in Children
Does your child make whistling or breathing sounds during sleep? Does your child experience long pauses in breathing, tossing and turning in bed, mouth breathing during sleep, night sweats, or even bed-wetting? All these and more are possible signs of sleep apnea, which is more common in children than is generally recognized. It’s estimated that sleep apnea affects up to 10% of children int the US, many of them between the ages 2 and 8 years old(1). Sleep Apnea Symptoms in Children vs. Adults Children with sleep apnea don’t...
read moreWhy is Sleep Important?
You have a big exam tomorrow. The time is 8:05pm and you begin to feel quite nervous about it. Not being as prepared as you would have liked, you start considering to pull the infamous “all-nighter.” The sun has already set and darkness fills the skies. As the ambitious night lingers on, even after several cups of coffee, your eyelids still manage to get heavier than your book-filled backpack. The words on the page become more difficult to read and your thinking becomes fuzzy. A mental fog begins to set in. No matter how hard you...
read moreAllergies and Obstructive Sleep Apnea
In my dental practice, I often screen patients for sleep breathing disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea. If I suspect a problem after my oral examination, I often start the conversation by asking, “are you aware that you snore whenever you sleep? or “do you often feel unrefreshed in the mornings when you wake up?” Often, my patients respond by saying, “yes, but only when I have bad allergies.” How do seasonal allergies affect your sleep? In general, seasonal allergies are thought to disrupt normal, healthy...
read moreCircadian Rhythm & Sleep
Did you know that our bodies come fully equipped with an internal clock? Just below the brain, there is a cluster of about 20,000 nerve cells known as the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). The SCN is connected to various parts of the brain and it acts as a control center for certain bodily functions. It helps regulate sleep and wakefulness, body temperature, and various hormonal changes during a 24-hour cycle. Let’s take a closer look to understand how this works! How Does The SCN Work? The SCN is responsible for determining the beginning and...
read moreCPAP Intolerance & Oral Appliance Alternative
Do you struggle using CPAP to treat your obstructive sleep apnea? If so, you’re not alone. Research shows that 50% of patients will abandon treatment because they can’t tolerate using it. While Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) still remains the most popular option for sleep apnea, using the machine can be a daunting task. The following are some of the most common objections that we hear from patients seeking other alternatives. Anything but CPAP While CPAP therapy is considered the “gold standard,” it may not be...
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