What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?
Before we get into the signs and symptoms of OSA, let’s first explain what happens to a person suffering from obstructive sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea occurs when your airway becomes so relaxed while you sleep that it collapses, causing a blockage. The blocked airway does not allow you to push air out normally while you sleep. The blockage in the airway also causes you to choke and gasp for air while you sleep, interrupting your entire sleep cycle.
You may wake up hundreds of times a night as you choke and gasp for air; these breathing cessation episodes may last ten seconds or even longer. Can you imagine the toll that takes on your body throughout the night? Now think about the toll that takes on your brain the next day. No wonder you feel like you’re in a brain fog while at work.
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
- Feeling exhausted upon waking
- Irritability
- Mood swings
- GERD (Gastroesophageal reflux disease)
- Dry mouth in the morning
- Sore throat in the morning
- Difficulty concentrating
- Memory problems
- “Brain fog”
- Anxiety
- Depression
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 the Dangerous Signs & Symptoms of Sleep Apnea in Miami Beach
Please call Maria Escoto, D.D.S. and the highly skilled, compassionate, and caring team at SoBeDentist™ in Miami Beach, Florida, at (305) 535-2225. You may also fill out our online contact form, and one of our team members will reach out to answer questions or schedule a new patient evaluation.
