Treatment For Sleep Disorders
Both research and technology have allowed us to understand the benefits of sleep to allow our body to maximize our quality of health. Most of us are not aware that Obstructive Sleep Apnea is a life threatening medical disorder.
The following statistics make me take this area of sleep disorders very seriously in our wellness based dental practice:
• Not being treated for Sleep Apnea can reduce your life span by 8 years
• Snoring is pathological, contrary to previous belief that it is normal
• A study from University of California reported that participants who slept more than 8 hours or less than 6 hours experienced a significant increased mortality rate (15%)
• When you do not have 25% REM sleep, your learning/retention ability decreases
• If you snore, you produce less nitric oxide. Nitric Oxide protects the lining of your coronary vessels. Reduced levels of Nitric Oxide increase the risk of heart failure
• Sleep deprivation can cause depression, gastric reflux, slow reaction time and in post-menopausal females, weight gain
• 80% ADD/ADHD diagnosed patients have a Sleep Apnea problem
• Sleep Apnea decreases our quality of life by making us tired, irritable, depressed and more prone to headache
• Mouth breathing decreases oxygen intake by 20%
Note: 80% of people suffering from Sleep Apnea are undiagnosed.
The Epworth Sleepiness Scale is a pre-screening tool to determine if you may suffer from Obstructive Sleep Apnea. After filling out this form, if you are interested in further investigation, we have prepared letters for you to discuss this matter with your family doctor.
Some of the consequences of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSA)
on our cardiovascular system are:
• 25% of OSA patients have cardiac ischemia
• 50% of OSA patients have hypertension
• 40% of people with stroke have OSA
• 40% of people with a myocardial condition have OSA
The effects of OSA on our neurocognitive system are:
• Excessive daytime sleepiness
• Increased motor vehicle accidents
• Increased work related accidents and poor job performance
• Lower threshold leading to depression
• Reduced quality of life and increased family discord
(For references on these statistics, please ask our front desk staff)
We have undertaken extensive training to help decrease snoring and increase oxygen intake by opening the airway with a variety of dental appliances, dependant on the needs of the individual. This treatment will only be undertaken once diagnosis is made by your medical doctor through an attended sleep study. A CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine is the recommended treatment for OSA, however, if your Sleep Apnea is mild or you cannot be compliant with a CPAP, then a dental appliance or surgery may be other options. We utilize a Pharyngometer and a Rhinometer to measure your airway to help us know how we can help you maximize the success of a dental appliance in conjunction with a Watch PAT (an overnight monitoring device to verify the efficiency of the snoring device so that you can derive the benefits of a good night sleep). Your sleep centre doctor will then be able to further validate that your airway and oxygen intake is maximized for your quality of health.