Are Insomnia and Sleep Apnea in Melbourne Related?

Sleep apnea and insomnia are two of the most common sleep disorders in the country, affecting about 20 million and 60 million people respectively. What is interesting, however, is that these conditions often overlap. A person who has trouble staying asleep, a very common symptom of insomnia, could easily be suffering from sleep apnea in Melbourne. If you’re having sleeping problems, such as an inability to fall or stay asleep, it’s important to know what the root cause is so you can get the appropriate treatment. The question is, how can you figure out if you have sleep apnea or insomnia? What can you do to get treatment? Dr. Kenneth Mogell, a certified sleep dentist, is going to take a little time to answer these questions and more today.

The Relationship Between Sleep Apnea and Insomnia

These two conditions can have very similar symptoms, the most obvious being that they make it very difficult for a person to sleep throughout the night. They do have a few individual distinctions, however:

• Insomnia refers to a difficulty falling or staying asleep. This can be caused by a multitude of reasons, including chronic pain, acid reflux, certain medications, depression, and nasal/sinus allergies.
• Sleep apnea is a condition where a person stops breathing periodically throughout the night. This can be caused by the tissues in the mouth and throat relaxing into the airway or a neurological condition where the brain stops sending the body the signal to breathe.

As you can see, these are quite different, but the symptoms can often be the same: trouble staying asleep, consistent daytime exhaustion, depression, high blood pressure, and an increased risk of cardiovascular problems. Many times, a person’s insomnia may be caused by sleep apnea, but they probably will not realize it simply because they are asleep. Often, people who believe they are insomniacs are simply suffering from sleep apnea. Here are a few key differences between them:

• With insomnia, a person may have difficulty falling asleep, but this is not always the case with sleep apnea.
• When a person is woken up due to sleep apnea, their body is stressed because it is struggling to breathe. They will often wake up out of breath, sweaty, and their heart will be racing.
• A person suffering from sleep apnea can also sleep completely through the night and still feel tired in the morning because their body is not getting enough oxygen.

What Should You Do?

If you are having difficulty sleeping for weeks at a time, you should definitely seek out treatment. The first step is to visit your doctor so they can eliminate any possible underlying causes. They may ask you to change daily habits (such as your diet or when you go to bed) or try different medications. If this doesn’t help, they may send you to a sleep doctor to have a sleep test performed. This will be able to determine the exact cause of your sleep problems. From there, depending on your diagnosis, your doctor can recommend treatment.

If you happen to have sleep apnea, I can actually provide you a very effective and easy to use sleep apnea treatment in Melbourne. It’s called oral appliance therapy, and it only involves you wearing a small mouthpiece to bed every night. It can help alleviate the symptoms of sleep apnea, and over 90% of the people who use them consistently see a dramatic increase in their sleep quality.

Have Questions?

Diagnosing a sleep disorder is extremely difficult on your own, so if you frequently have trouble falling or staying asleep, or you feel tired despite sleeping throughout the night, you should definitely seek out treatment as soon as you can.

If you have any questions about insomnia, sleep apnea, or how to start getting treatment, be sure to contact my office today, and we’ll be happy to answer your questions and guide you in the right direction.