Could you be experiencing sleep apnea symptoms? Your dentist near Arden offers helpful details

Millions of people snore – some only on occasion, and others as a chronic habit. Whether it is yours, or a partner’s, snoring can cause a number of problems that inhibit your quality of life. Because snoring is such a common problem, it can be easy to assume that snoring of any kind, even chronic snoring, is normal. There are instance, however, in which snoring is a sign of a potentially serious condition. Obstructive sleep apnea is a sleep disorder often mistaken for snoring. Learning the difference between snoring and sleep apnea symptoms could save your health and vitality. Receiving the proper diagnosis, you can obtain comfortable, effective treatment from your dentist near Arden.

There are three different types of sleep apnea, with obstructive sleep apnea being the most common. Obstructive sleep apnea, as it sounds, is caused by obstruction of the airway. As a person sleeps, his or her muscles relax. This relaxation in the muscles around the throat is so significant in the sleep apnea patient that airflow becomes blocked, and the brain is deprived of oxygen. The lapses in breathing can occur over a hundred times in a night, with the person affected constantly roused from sleep, but never waking fully.

Obstructive sleep apnea, and the loss of sleep that results from this condition, can pose a serious threat to health. Recognizing the differences between snoring and the symptoms of sleep apnea can lead you to proper diagnosis and treatment. More importantly, proper treatment will lead you back to better health.

Symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea include:

• Loud, chronic snoring that can be heard from other rooms
• Pauses in snoring, followed by loud snorting, choking, or gasping sounds
• Feeling extremely tired, even after many hours of sleep
• Restless or fitful sleep
• Waking often to use the bathroom or drink water
• Persistent irritability or moodiness
• Depression
• Difficult retaining information or concentrating
• Hyperactivity

At Family Dental Health of South Asheville in Arden, our experienced dental team can help you regain control over your sleep. Your dentist can help you determine if obstructive sleep apnea is a problem and devise a treatment plan you will find comfortable and effective. Oral appliance therapy has been used for many years, with positive reports from patients and practitioners alike.

Be your best self. Talk with your dentist about sleep issues to discover if sleep apnea could be affecting your livelihood.