You’re looking at your partner, mouth agape as they raucously snore, trying to remember all of the good times that you’ve had together. The fond memories are the only reason you aren’t bashing them with a pillow right now. It’s always a race for you to fall asleep every night so that you don’t have to contend with their snoring, and tonight you lost…badly. You can’t go on like this, something has to change. How can you stop your partner from snoring? Fortunately, you can now get an anti-snoring device in Jupiter from Dr. Kenneth Mogell. (more…)
Florida Dental Sleep Disorders Blog
Sleep Apnea Treatment in Melbourne without a CPAP
October 9, 2016
It just isn’t fair, is it? You do everything you’re supposed to when it comes to sleep, but still to no avail. You always make sure you get at least 8 hours, you turn off all your electronics an hour before bed, and you even have breathing exercises that you do while you’re laying down. Despite all this effort, you still wake up tired day after day. Little everyday tasks become mountains, and time comes to a standstill. So you do something about it. You take the time and get a sleep study done, and what do you know, you’ve been diagnosed with sleep apnea. You’ve finally figured it out! You are given a brand new CPAP machine and told to enjoy the rest. You aren’t, however. The CPAP itself makes it difficult to sleep, and you don’t know what to do. You have options, however, with Florida Dental Sleep Disorders. We can offer you another way to get sleep apnea treatment in Melbourne. (more…)
Treating Sleep Apnea Helps Heart Failure Patients
February 24, 2016
Treating sleep apnea is important. Early diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea may reduce the number of re-admissions for patients hospitalized with heart failure, according to research published online by the American Journal of Cardiology.
According to Dr. Sunil Sharma, an associate professor of pulmonary medicine in the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, “Physicians should be on the lookout for sleep apnea in patients with heart failure with the goal of diagnosing and treating early, which might help prevent readmissions and emergency room visits”. If you or a loved one has experienced hospitalization for heart failure you might want to ask your doctor about a sleep study to rule out obstructive sleep apnea.
Dr. Sharma’s research showed that patients compliant with their CPAP significantly reduced the patient’s risks for being readmitted to the hospital with a re-occurrence of congestive heart failure.
Treatment options
While CPAP is a wonderful treatment for obstructive sleep apnea, almost half of patients cannot tolerate sleeping with the masks, hoses and machine. Treating sleep apnea with an oral appliance has much higher rates of patients using the device to treat their apnea every night and all night long.
Using a CPAP or an Oral appliance to manage your obstructive sleep apnea can greatly reduce your risk for aggravating your cardiovascular system. Compliance is the key. Using your device every night is imperative for maintain a high quality of life and minimizing the hazards of Sleep Apnea!
Find out more about your options for comfortable, safe and effective sleep apnea treatment using oral appliances by contacting Florida Dental Sleep Disorders today at 1-844-MY-APNEA.
Is A Fat Tongue Disturbing Your Sleep?
October 2, 2014
Obstructive sleep apnea is an undiagnosed health risk for many people. The journal Sleep will be publishing the findings of a new study showing that fat deposits on the tongue increase risk.
Obstructive sleep apnea causes pauses in breathing during sleep. These stoppages of breath occur because the soft tissues of the mouth and throat, including the tongue, relax and drop back into the airway. This effectively blocks the flow of air and the patients ceases breathing until they briefly wake with a gasp and begin breathing again.
The new study from the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center shows that fat deposits are increased in the tongue of obese patients with obstructive sleep apnea. Overweight people are at higher risk for sleep apnea.
This study included 90 obese adults with sleep apnea and 90 obese adults without the disorder. The study participants with sleep apnea had larger tongues, tongue fat and a higher percentage of tongue fat than those who did not have sleep apnea.
Tongue size is one of the physical features that we look at when screening patients for obstructive sleep apnea. Having an oversized or large tongue is not limited to those who are overweight, some people are just born with tongues that are too large for the size of their mouths. This can lead to blockages in the airway during sleep.
Oral appliance therapy ensures that the tongue stays in a forward position – no blocking the airway.
Please contact us today at 561-353-5252 to schedule your visit to our Boca Raton, Vero Beach or Port St. Lucie offices.
CPAP decreases the risks of Sleep Apnea!
December 12, 2011
CPAP decreases the risks of Sleep Apnea!
Sleep Apnea is a serious condition that can raise your blood pressure and increase your risk for heart attacks and strokes. When you have Sleep Apnea, normal breathing during sleep is prevented as the soft tissues of your throat collapse and sag to block off your airway. Your body’s response is to constantly waking you up just to get you to breath. With the repeated interruption of normal sleep excessive daytime sleepiness is a common result of the Sleep Apnea.
Once diagnosed with Sleep Apnea the most effective means of managing the condition is with a device can a CPAP. This acronym stands for Continuous Positive Air Pressure. The CPAP delivers pressurized air through a mask that covers your mouth and or nose. The forcing of the air through this device literally “blows open” your airway preventing the soft tissues from collapsing.
A recent study to be presented at the American Thoracic Society, demonstrated that the use of a CPAP device can significantly reduce the mortality in the elderly who have been diagnosed with Sleep Apnea. Whether someone uses a CPAP or an oral appliance to address the condition, the important issue is to do something to minimize the potentially fatal aspects of Sleep Apnea. If you have any questions about Sleep Apnea please give us a call at 561-353-5252. We will arrange a consultation appointment to discuss your concerns and get you on your way to a healthier nights sleep.
Use it or lose it!
December 6, 2011
USE IT OR LOSE IT!
Computer technology is noticeable throughout our daily lives. For sleep apnea suffers it has become even more apparent. The other day I was speaking with a friend whose husband has sleep apnea. Fortunately he uses his CPAP…but not every night! What he wasn’t aware of is that his CPAP has a smart card in it that monitors its use. When he went for a follow-up examination at his doctor’s office he was told of the information obtained from the smart card. Yes big brother is watching or in this case your insurance providers are the eyes in the sky!
The fact of the matter is greater than 50% of the people who are prescribed a CPAP don’t use it at all. The other 50% average using the device 4 nights a week for four hours a night! The insurance companies and even Medicare don’t want to pay for something that is just collecting dust by your bedside! So if you don’t use the CPAP, you will lose it!
Sleep Apnea is a life altering condition that can easily be managed to improve the quality of your life. If you have any questions about alternatives to cope with your sleep breathing disorder, please give us a call at 561-353-5252. We will arrange an appointment to answer your questions and help get you on your way to a healthier nights sleep!
Snoring Is Not A Laughing Matter!
October 25, 2011
Snoring has often been depicted in a humorous manner. However, it can be a sign of a serious and dangerous health issue. Many times patients that snore may have other sleep breathing disorders such as sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is characterized as abnormal pauses in breathing during sleep. Each pause in breathing can last from a few seconds to minutes, and may occur 5 to 30 times or more an hour. This can affect the patient’s health by increasing blood pressure, as well as raising the risk of heart attack and stroke. With this being said, the patient that snores is not the only one affected. The bed partner of the snorer also suffers. The European Heart Journal recently published data that showed that the non-snoring bed partner is susceptible to increases in blood pressure that raise the risk of hypertension .
Thus, the secondary target of the snorer has their sleep adversely affected. They too are constantly awoken during the night, fragmenting their sleep as well. Unlike the apnea sufferer who drifts in an out of restless sleep, the bed partner of secondary snoring isn’t easily able to return to sleep. All stages of their sleep are adversely impacted. They are unable to achieve the appropriate level of restful sleep due to the unpredictable disturbances created by their noisy bed partner. It is estimated that snoring and the resultant sleep deprivation cost the United States approximately 100 million dollars in productivity.
What can be done to protect the “snoree”? Earplugs? The average snore is between 60 & 90 decibels, even the best ear plugs only provide about 30 decibels of protection. Obviously the best course of action is to screen our patients for signs of a sleep breathing disorders. Remember that denial is a characteristic of human nature, particularly with something that is perceived as embarrassing such as snoring. Screening for conditions as dangerous as Sleep Apnea shouldn’t stop with the obvious targets but also with the less apparent objects of their harmful effects.