Are you tired all the time?
Do you snore?
Do you have headaches at night, or when you wake up in the morning?
Do you have chest pains or sweat a log when you sleep?
Do you have a sour taste in your mouth, either with or without heartburn?

These are just some of the symptoms that can indicate a condition called sleep apnea.

What is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is when you stop breathing temporarily while you sleep. In some cases this can happen hundreds of time a night! Sleep apnea is most often caused by an obstruction of the airway during sleep. The diagrams to the right show the position of the throat during snoring or a sleep apnea episode (top), and the position of the throat when a sleep apnea appliance is in place (bottom).

In the top picture, the tongue falls back to meet the soft palate or the uvula, partially obstructing the airway. This causes snoring, or episodes of interrupted breathing.

In the bottom picture, you can see how an appliance is used to hold the mouth and jaw in position, so that the tongue cannot fall back and obstruct breathing or cause snoring.

These appliances, such as the one pictured above, are called mandibular advancement devices. They are used for the treatment of mild to moderate sleep apnea.

Diagnosing Sleep Apnea

The first step in diagnosing sleep apnea is a visit to your primary care physician. He or she will set up an appointment with a sleep specialist to determine the presence or extent of any sleep apnea issue. The specialist will also determine the best course of treatment. For moderate to severe cases of sleep apnea, a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine is the best course of treatment, but for mild to moderate cases, the specialist may very well recommend an mandibular advancement device such as the one pictured above.

Chronically disturbed sleep can have far-reaching affects on your health. Depression, hypertension, ADD, impaired growth, behavioral issues, heart attackor stroke are some of the conditions linked to sleep apnea or other sleep disorders. If you think you may have a sleep disorder or know you have a snoring issue, talk to Dr. Kitchen or Dr. Stapley about getting help.