Sleep apnea is more than just loud snoring and poor sleep. Sleep apnea causes the amount of oxygen coming into the body to be greatly reduced. This can lead to life-threatening health conditions including high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes and more. This lack of oxygen makes for continued poor sleep that affects the afflicted individual’s daily function.

What is sleep apnea?

The word “apnea” in greak means “without breathing” when translated literally. “a-” meaning “without” and “-pnea” meaning “breathing.” When your body senses that you are not taking in oxygen, it stirs you out of deep sleep so you can breathe. These cessations of breath can last for a minute or longer. This causes a lack of the deep REM sleep that our mind needs to recuperate from the day. Those who suffer from the condition stop breathing multiple times throughout the night.

There are three types of apnea: obstructive, central, and mixed; of the three, obstructive is the most common. Each type of sleep apnea has a different root cause, but all have the same hazardous effect on the body:

• Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA): This is caused when the muscles surrounding your airway relax during sleep. The throat, tongue, and soft palate all come in contact with each other, completely obstructing the airway.
• Central Sleep Apnea: The root of central sleep apnea is neurological. In this case, the lack of oxygen is caused by the brain failing to signal the muscles responsible for breathing to do their job.
• Complex Sleep Apnea Syndrome / Mixed: This is a combination of both OSA and central sleep apnea.

All types of sleep apnea should be taken seriously and treated immediately. It is important to see medical advice and treatment from any of the following specialists: Doctor in dental sleep medicine, sleep physicians, sleep techs, sleep centers, ENT physicians and pulmonologists

Want to learn more about sleep apnea?

For more information on Dr. Buck’s practice and the treatment options he provides, schedule an appointment, call us today at 425-361-7499.