Sleep apnoea is extremely common.
Its symptoms can often go overlooked by patients who simply do not know how dangerous it can be if left untreated, which is why at Bite Dental we are taking huge strides to help our Brisbane patients reclaim their sleep and their health. The effects of sleep apnoea on the body can be devastating if they are left to progress undeterred and it is very important that you get in touch with us if you suffer from any of the major symptoms that we’ll be discussing here. We have always prided ourselves on a holistic approach to dentistry and this includes battling sleep apnoea with a revolutionary, yet simple device.
A lot of patients may be tempted to head to the internet in an attempt to cure themselves of this frustrating condition but many snoring home treatments and remedies are simply not effective enough to make any lasting or significant difference. If you want to know how to stop snoring and the other symptoms of sleep apnoea, your best option will always be to consult a health professional and we understand better than most the relationship between your airways and your ability obtain quality sleep. Sleep apnoea affects both adults and children and is characterised by daytime fatigue brought about by poor sleep.
So what causes sleep apnoea?
The big problem with sleep apnoea is that because it is so common many people dismiss just how dangerous it can be. The severity of sleep apnoea can vary from patient to patient but in all cases, it is something that has the potential to wreak havoc on your body and mind. Sleep apnoea disrupts your ability to breathe properly while you are sleeping and is caused when your airway becomes blocked at various intervals. This blockage and resultant lack of oxygen reaching your lungs are in essence what causes you to snore loudly and the choking noises associated with it. The causes of sleep apnoea are different in adults and children. With children, the symptoms of sleep apnoea are enlarged adenoids, tonsils or an overbite. In adults, the causes are mainly an excess of soft tissue in the mouth and the throat.
So, when you are asleep and your tongue and throat muscles are more relaxed than during the day and this excess soft tissue can then cause your airway to become blocked. Your body is forced into waking up by the fact that you are not receiving enough oxygen and your brain alerts you to this fact by bringing you out of the sleep state. To you, this may not register as ‘waking up’ but your body has to reset your breathing pattern again before you fall asleep again. It is this process that leads to the daytime fatigue that plagues all sleep apnoea sufferers and the feeling that you have not slept well.
Identifying the symptoms of sleep apnoea
The team here at Bite Dental are all highly trained and experienced in not only identifying the symptoms of sleep apnoea but also treating them effectively. As mentioned, feeling tired, drowsy or sleepy during the day is one of the major signs that you may be suffering from sleep apnoea. It can also cause a number of mental ailments such as depression, moodiness or irritability that can lead to added stress not only on you but on those around you as well. You may find yourself waking up with headaches and have difficulty concentrating throughout your day as well as experiencing lapses of memory and learning problems. Now, it should be noted that you might not suffer from all of these symptoms all at once but if you do experience them in combination then we strongly urge you to get in touch with us for a consultation. Educating patients about these symptoms is important but we also need to let sleep apnoea sufferers know that it is a disorder that is treatable by a dentist and that is where we come in.
To find out more about our sleep apnoea treatments, or to make an appointment, please click here.
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