Get the Restful Sleep You Need
There’s nothing more frustrating than constantly feeling fatigued, even when you’ve slept all night. If you always feel tired, wake up with headaches, snore heavily, or have trouble focusing during the day, you might have a sleep disorder like obstructive sleep apnea. Our resident Franklinville dentist and sleep specialist, Dr. Todd Gottlieb, can help you get the sleep apnea treatment you need.
Living with sleep apnea can feel incredibly isolating, and it often affects everyone in your family. Your bedmate might also be woken up throughout the night by your loud snoring or breathing interruptions, leading to a very tired and grumpy household.
Learn more about obstructive sleep apnea and how our dedicated team can help.
What is Sleep Apnea?
Obstructive sleep apnea is a potentially life-threatening sleep disorder characterized by repeated pauses in breathing during sleep. Breathing pauses can last anywhere from several seconds to minutes and can happen as often as 30 times or more per hour. Ongoing disrupted breathing causes an imbalance between the carbon dioxide and oxygen levels in the bloodstream, as not enough carbon dioxide is exiting and not enough oxygen is entering the body.
Sensing the sleep interruption, the brain sends a message to the body telling it to wake up to restart the breathing process. People with sleep apnea will partially awaken as they struggle to breathe, and this is often accompanied by loud snoring or choking sensations. Because people with sleep apnea don’t always completely wake up during the episodes, they are often unaware they have a sleeping disorder, and it can remain undiagnosed.
An estimated 50 to 70 million American adults suffer from sleep apnea, making it one of the most common sleep disorders. Children can also develop sleep apnea, although it’s less common.
Sleep Apnea Symptoms
Sleep apnea is categorized by interrupted breathing throughout the night, but it has several other telltale symptoms, including:
- Loud, disruptive snoring
- Gasping or choking sounds while you sleep
- Daytime fatigue/lack of energy
- Short attention span or memory problems
- Headaches when you wake up in the morning
- Dry mouth
- Sore throat
- Feeling irritable / mood swings
- Decreased libido
If you are regularly experiencing several of these symptoms, make an appointment to visit our Franklinville dental office right away.
Sleep Apnea Treatment Options
While there’s no official cure for sleep apnea, proper treatment can help you sleep soundly and alleviate many of your symptoms. The only way to know for sure if you have sleep apnea is to undergo a sleep test, either in a professionally-monitored setting or using a take-home device. Once you’ve been diagnosed, Dr. Gottlieb may recommend some lifestyle changes, such as quitting smoking, eliminating alcohol, sleeping on your side, or losing weight. There’s a direct link between sleep apnea and obesity, so living a healthier lifestyle can often help.
CPAP machines were traditionally used to keep sleep apnea patients’ airways open, but there are less intrusive options available. Oral appliances that gently tease the lower jaw forward are very effective in preventing the tongue from blocking the main air passage. These dental devices are gentle, easy to wear, and often help patients avoid unwanted surgeries.
A more permanent solution is to have surgery that sections the lower jaw and helps pull the bone holding the tongue forward slightly. This surgery has an impressive success rate and is simple for the dentist or oral surgeon to perform. Dr. Gottlieb will assess your individual case before helping you develop a sleep apnea treatment plan.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to our sleep specialist in Franklinville for help. Untreated sleep apnea can lead to many other health problems like heart disease and diabetes.
Get Help for Your Sleep Apnea at Franklinville Dental
At Franklinville Dental, we proudly treat patients in Franklinville, Glassboro, Williamstown, Clayton, Monroeville, and all surrounding areas. If you’ve been suffering from sleep apnea, call us at (856) 694-5555 or fill out our online contact form. Your sleep apnea treatment in New Jersey is just a phone call away.