[Ask a Dentist] How Can Sleep Apnea Negatively Affect Me?

Learning more about how sleep apnea can negatively affect your overall health is necessary once you have been diagnosed with this sleeping condition. The fact that everyone who is diagnosed with this sleeping condition will receive their own personalized treatment plan means that any negative health-related risks you may experience may differ from risks other people experience. In order for you to get individualized treatment, getting your information from a dentist it is necessary.

Ask a dentist: how can sleep apnea negatively affect me?

Want to understand how sleep apnea can negatively affect you? Good question, as a sleep apnea diagnosis is one that can contribute to your being diagnosed with a number of other health-related problems. This is why it is so important for any dental patient who is diagnosed with any level of sleep apnea to find out what their treatment options are, so they can choose one that works for them.

Potential health-related problems you may experience include heart disease, diabetes, breathing problems, high blood pressure, a weakened immune system, acid reflux, higher levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol and ongoing fatigue. There is also the possibility that you could experience mental-related problems, like memory loss, mental confusion and depression.

Factors that increase one’s risk of being diagnosed with sleep apnea

There is a list of factors that have been determined to increase one's risk of being diagnosed with this sleeping condition, making it important for everyone to understand what these risks are in order to avoid a diagnosis. These risks include but are not limited to being obese, being male, being older, having a family history, smoking cigarettes, drinking too much alcohol, taking certain kinds of medication, being born with a narrow airway and experiencing difficulty breathing through the nose.

Types of sleep apnea treatments

When it comes to treating dental patients who have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, it depends on whether they have a mild, moderate or severe case of this sleeping condition. Patients who are diagnosed with a mild case of sleep apnea may be able to resolve their problem by making certain types of lifestyle changes. These lifestyle changes include losing weight, stopping smoking, exercising more and avoiding drinking any alcohol.

Patients who are diagnosed with moderate to severe sleep apnea will need to undergo a more in-depth type of treatment. This may require them to use a continuous positive airway pressure machine aka CPAP machine or one of the different types of oral appliances that are specifically made to treat sleep apnea. When a patient has undergone all treatment options and is still experiencing sleep apnea problems, they may need to undergo a surgical process in order to correct their problem.

Have you recently been diagnosed with this sleeping condition?

Now that you understand how a sleep apnea diagnosis can potentially and negatively affect you, are you doing everything you can in order to prevent yourself from being diagnosed with additional health-related problems? There are a few different treatment options available these days for you to choose from, making it necessary for you to make an appointment with a dental professional in order to understand your treatment options.

Request an appointment here: https://alamedadentalaurora.com or call Alameda Dental at (303) 343-7072 for an appointment in our Aurora office.

Check out what others are saying about our dental services on Yelp: Do I Have Sleep Apnea in Aurora, CO.