Sleep Apnea

WHAT IS SLEEP APNEA?

The word “apnea” literally means “without breath.”

There are three types of apnea. In all three, people with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times during the night and often for a minute or longer.

• Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the most common is usually caused when the soft tissue in the rear of the throat collapses and closes during sleep.central, and mixed.
• Central sleep apnea, is not caused by a blocked airway but rather the brain’s failure to signal the muscles to breathe.
• Mixed apnea, is a combination of the two.

With each apnea event, the brain briefly arouses people with sleep apnea in order for them to resume breathing, but consequently sleep is extremely fragmented and of poor quality.

Sleep apnea is very common affecting more than 12 million Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health. Risk factors include being male, overweight, and over the age of forty, but sleep apnea can strike anyone at any age, even children.

STRATEGIES TO REDUCE SNORING

• Sleep on your side
• Normalize your weight
• Relieve nasal congestion
• Avoid alcohol or sleeping pills within four hours of bedtime

MEDICAL & DENTAL TREATMENTS FOR SNORING AND SLEEP APNEA

• Positional device (anti-snoring cushion) A non-invasive treatment for snoring, the cushion is worn along the middle of the back and will prevent you from rolling onto your back during sleep.
• Continuous positive airway pressure (C PAP) treatment. The primary treatment for people with obstructive sleep apnea, the device has a small air blower connected by a flexible hose to a cushioned plastic mask that covers your nose which forces air through the hose and mask into your nose and throat to keep the air passage open during sleep.
• Oral appliance therapy

  

  An oral appliance is a small acrylic device that fits over your upper and lower teeth or tongue (similar to an orthodontic retainer or mouth guard) slightly advancing the lower jaw or tongue, opening the airway, improving breathing and reducing snoring and apnea. The appliance is fabricated and customized for each patient by a dentist experienced in the treatment of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea such as Dr. Farokh Jiveh. Well-tolerated, this treatment is effective for treating people with snoring and mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea.

  Dr. Farokh Jiveh, a highly qualified sleep apnea dentist can fit an appliance inside the mouth as you sleep instead of the CPAP device which covers your whole face.

  Dr. Jiveh can make a custom-fit a dental appliance made of plastic which fits invisibly inside your mouth. It is completely silent unlike the CPAP and is easily transportable. The mouthpiece will adjust your lower jaw and your tongue to help keep your airways open while you sleep.

• Surgery in the throat area or jaw The most common surgical procedure for treating snoring is laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty (LAUP) done in the physician’s office by a qualified surgeon. This treatment can be effective in reducing snoring but less effective for treating people with moderate or severe obstructive sleep apnea.

Untreated, sleep apnea can cause high blood pressure and other cardiovascular disease, memory problems, weight gain, impotency, and headaches. Moreover, untreated sleep apnea may be responsible for job impairment and motor vehicle crashes.

Contact us to schedule a free consultation with Dr. Farokh Jiveh to learn more.