Posts tagged “sleep apnea”

You may be aware of the condition sleep apnea but what you might not know is that it has links to heart failure and even death. Many people confuse sleep apnea with snoring because of the similar noises made and because it occurs during sleep. But while snoring is the sound of partially obstructed breathing during sleep, sleep apnea is actually the complete cessation of breathing, which can put enormous strain on the heart.

There are two main types of sleep apnea. The first and most common is called obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and occurs when soft palate at the back of the throat collapses temporarily blocking the airway. This causes a choking sound as the body attempts to right the situation. This will usually happen after about twenty seconds but the process can repeat itself many times throughout the night. This can put great strain on the body and be the underlying cause of stress, fatigue and poor performance.

The other type of sleep apnea is called central sleep apnea (CSA) and is caused by a malfunction in the main respiratory area of the brain. The brain forgets to tell the lungs to breath again halting breathing for many seconds during sleep. Both kinds of apnea can cause heart problems and potentially life threatening heart failure.

The amazing thing is that many people are completely unaware that they have sleep apnea unless they have been told by a friend or loved one that they stop breathing during sleep. London dentists are able to treat certain types of sleep apnea and refer other cases to specialists so that the problem can be resolved. If you are constantly stressed or tired and don’t know why, make an appointment to see your dentist. It could help you to sleep well for the first time in years.

You may well have heard of sleep apnea. There has been a lot of coverage of this condition in the media over the last few years but many people are still confused about the exact nature of apnea, what causes it and how it can be treated.

The most important thing to realise is that sleep apnea is not simply the same as snoring or even a variant of it. Snoring is cause by soft tissue vibrating when breathing during sleep. Apnea is the complete cessation of breathing during sleep and the noise of choking associated with this. As you can see it is definitely a more serious problem than but there are two variants of sleep apnea that are very distinct.

The first is called obstructive sleep apnea and occurs when the airway becomes blocked by a collapsing soft palate at the back of the throat. This will eventually right itself after a few seconds but can happen many times during the course of a night. This is the less serious form of apnea and can usually be treated with an appliance from your dentist.

The other kind of apnea is called central sleep apnea and is concerned with an interruption in the central respiratory part of the brain, which forgets to send a message to the lungs to breath. As you can imagine this is a slightly more serious problem and needs more serious medical attention. Central sleep apnea can be the underlying cause of stress, anxiety, fatigue and in extreme cases, even death. If you are concerned about sleep apnea of any kind then you need to make an appointment with your Central London dentist to have the problem treated as soon as you can.