If you can’t tolerate a CPAP, you might try this:
We can help to diagnose and treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea with an alternative to the "dreaded" CPAP machine. This is definitely for the people who cannot or will not use their CPAP. If you don’t mind using your CPAP, please continue to do so. Is it just snoring or is it sleep apnea? Not everyone who snores has sleep apnea, and not everyone who has sleep apnea snores. How Do You Tell the Difference?
- Are you a loud and/or regular snorer?
- Have you ever been observed to gasp or stop breathing during sleep?
- Do you feel tired or groggy upon awakening, or do you awaken with a headache?
- Are you often tired or fatigued during the wake time hours?
- Do you fall asleep sitting, reading, watching TV or driving?
- Do you often have problems with memory or concentration?
If you have one or more of the above symptoms you are at higher risk for having obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep apnea (AP-ne-ah) is a common disorder in which you have one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while you sleep. Breathing pauses can last from a few seconds to minutes and can occur 5 to 30 times or more an hour. Typically normal breathing then starts again, sometimes with a loud snort or choking sound. Sleep apnea usually is a chronic (ongoing) condition that disrupts your sleep. You often move out of deep sleep and into light sleep when your breathing pauses or becomes shallow. It often goes undiagnosed. Doctors usually can’t detect the condition during routine office visits. There are no blood tests for the condition. The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea which means that the airway has collapsed or is blocked during sleep. The blockage may cause shallow breathing or breathing pauses. When you try to breathe, any air that squeezes past the blockage can cause loud snoring. Obstructive sleep apnea is more common in people who are overweight, but it can affect anyone.
Suspicious Signs and Symptoms of Sleep Apnea May Include:
- Snoring – loud and heavy, sometimes accompanied by snorting and gasping
- Long pauses in breathing during sleep
- Morning headache/ Cluster headache
- Excessive daytime sleepiness and unexplained fatigue
- Personality, alertness, memory, and behavior changes
- Memory loss
- Acid Reflux (G.E.R.D.)
- Loss of interest and physical problems related to sex
- In some cases, ADHD and similar conditions
Sleep Apnea Can Cause the Following:
- High blood pressure/heart attacks and heart disease/strokes
- Sudden death (a former Green Bay Packer football player named Reggie White died of respiratory failure reportedly due to sleep apnea)
- Severe memory loss – in certain cases dementia, loss of sexual interest and function
- Fatigue and lack of energy – sleepiness throughout the day.
- Sleepiness is one of the most common causes of automobile accidents and related injuries
- Growth – the inability to reach deep sleep is called Level 3 sleep and is required for growth and healing hormones to be formed and released into the body
- Premature aging – Since everyone’s body relies on inhalation of an adequate amount of oxygen in air 24 hours a day, many other medical conditions heal slowly, or perhaps not at all, in patients who hold their breath for long periods of time hundreds of times each night.
If you or a loved one has a problem with Sleep Apnea or snoring and would like a consultation to find out if you are a candidate for the sleep appliance, please call and schedule a "Screening Evaluation". We would love to meet you in person and help you to attain a better quality of life without CPAP.