What is Sleep Apnea?
To recognize the signs of sleep apnea, it helps to know what’s actually happening while you sleep.
As a dental practice in Miami Beach, our providers offer comprehensive care that looks beyond your smile to support your overall health—including how well you breathe and rest at night. Sleep apnea occurs when the airway becomes too relaxed during sleep, collapsing and blocking airflow. This obstruction causes you to stop breathing temporarily, often leading to choking or gasping episodes that repeatedly interrupt your sleep cycle.
These breathing pauses can happen hundreds of times each night, lasting ten seconds or longer. Over time, this constant disruption takes a toll on your body and mind, leaving you feeling exhausted, foggy, and unable to focus during the day.
Knowing how sleep apnea affects your body can help you identify its warning signs—both while you sleep and throughout the day.
Snoring and Sleep Apnea
Snoring is the sound we make when trying to force air through a blocked airway. If you snore, you likely have sleep apnea. If you have sleep apnea, you most likely will snore. Instead of being kicked to the guest room or the couch, you can change your life with highly effective sleep apnea treatment in Miami Beach, Florida, at SoBeDentist™.
Signs and Symptoms of Sleep Apnea
There are numerous signs of sleep apnea, including:
- Daytime fatigue/drowsiness: Constant tiredness during the day, even after a full night’s sleep, is one of the most common signs of sleep apnea.
- Feeling exhausted upon waking: You may wake up feeling unrefreshed or as though you barely slept at all due to repeated interruptions in your sleep cycle.
- Irritability: Poor sleep can leave you short-tempered or easily frustrated, especially in the mornings or after stressful situations.
- Mood swings: Frequent sleep disruptions can cause emotional instability, leading to sudden changes in mood throughout the day.
- GERD (Gastroesophageal reflux disease): Interrupted breathing can create pressure changes that worsen acid reflux, causing heartburn or regurgitation during sleep.
- Dry mouth in the morning: Mouth breathing at night—common in those with sleep apnea—can leave your mouth feeling parched when you wake up.
- Sore throat in the morning: Snoring or mouth breathing can irritate the throat, making it feel dry or sore upon waking.
- Difficulty concentrating: Lack of restful sleep affects cognitive function, making it harder to stay focused or complete tasks efficiently.
- Memory problems: Sleep deprivation impairs the brain’s ability to form and store memories, leading to forgetfulness or confusion.
- “Brain fog”: That groggy, sluggish feeling throughout the day often stems from fragmented sleep and reduced oxygen flow to the brain.
- Anxiety: Ongoing fatigue and poor sleep can heighten feelings of nervousness or restlessness, contributing to anxiety symptoms.
- Depression: Sleep apnea is closely linked to depression, as disrupted sleep affects brain chemistry and emotional regulation.
You may feel all of these or have some combination of several signs and symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea. Regardless of how serious your sleep apnea is, there’s no reason to suffer any longer. The sleep apnea dentists at SoBeDentist™ can help.
Long-term Effects of Sleep Apnea
If left untreated, obstructive sleep apnea can seriously impact your physical health and emotional well-being. Over time, you may experience any combination of these health issues:
- Anxiety and/or depression: People with OSA often suffer from anxiety and depression, and after years of bad sleep, the anxiety and depression only worsen.
- Mental confusion: Many people with OSA experience brain fog throughout the day and find it difficult to focus on common tasks.
- Memory loss: Improved sleep improves short-term and long-term memory. Poor quality sleep negatively affects both short-term and long-term memory.
- Compromised immune system: People with OSA often have a weakened immune system.
- Cardiovascular problems: Obstructive sleep apnea increases the likelihood of irregular heart rhythms, stroke, and heart failure.
- Hypertension: High blood pressure is very common in people suffering from OSA.
- Diabetes: It’s not easy to manage diabetes when suffering from OSA because you’re always exhausted. Also, evidence indicates that people with Type II Diabetes often have OSA.
- Respiratory issues: OSA will likely affect your lungs over time, eventually leading to breathing problems.
While this list is definitely NOT meant to scare you, it is intended to motivate you to seek help from dentists who have been educated and trained to treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Miami Beach, Florida.
With so many advances in sleep apnea diagnosis and treatment, you will likely discover very early in the treatment process that wonderful sleep can change your life.
Learn More About Sleep Apnea in Miami Beach
If you suspect sleep apnea may be affecting your health, it’s important to seek help from a provider who truly understands the connection between oral health and quality sleep. Maria Escoto, D.D.S., a proud member of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM) and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), has the training and experience to identify and treat sleep-related breathing disorders with precision and compassion.
Please call SoBeDentist™ in Miami Beach, Florida, at (305) 535-2225 to schedule your consultation with Dr. Escoto. You can also fill out our online contact form, and a member of our caring team will reach out to answer your questions or arrange your appointment.
