Snoring and Sleep Apnea in Aurora
“What does oxygen deprivation every night of your life do your brain and your health”
Sleep apnea may be the cause if you wake up exhausted from the previous night. The respiratory disorder known as sleep apnea causes shallow or paused breathing in its sufferers while they are asleep. Over 5.4 million persons in Canada are thought to suffer from sleep apnea. Repeated pauses during sleep might have negative effects on lifestyle choices and health and can put your life in danger. While it may just seem like a minor inconvenience, sleep apnea has been connected to many health related issues such as high blood pressure, heart disease, cognitive issues, and daytime sleepiness.
Symptoms of Sleep Apnea and Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome
Sleep apnea is a condition where the epiglottis—the soft area at the back of the throat—or the tongue relax during sleep, obstructing the airway. Upper airway resistance syndrome is a condition in which your body is working hard to keep your airway open, it creates an incredible amount of stress and releases high amounts of cortisol, creating excessive amounts of inflammation. Both conditions can make your life miserable if not put your life at risk.
Because sleep apnea can impact all areas of your life, it’s important to take any symptoms seriously. Common symptoms of sleep apnea can include:
- Chaotic sleep patterns
- Choking during sleep or waking up gasping
- Daytime sleepiness
- Teeth grinding
- Difficulty concentrating
- Dry mouth or sore throat in the morning
- High blood pressure
- Irritability
- Weight gain
- Memory loss
- Loud snoring
- Waking up in a sweat
- Erectile dysfunction
A New Life Saving Sleep Apnea Treatment
Treatment for obstructive sleep apnea and treatment for snoring or other sleep disordered breathing conditions like upper airway resistance syndrome can range from gentle to CPAP machines to surgery. While we want to avoid CPAP machines and surgery, a new, gentle treatment is now available to helping you open your airways.
Introducing the Seattle Protocol – Help You Breathe At Night
The Seattle Protocol is a systematic and progressive approach that customizes a plan to control your airway through appliance and nasal breathing therapy. The purpose of the protocol is to help us understand which step provides the best relief.
It’s broken down into several easy to manage 6 steps. The six-step process helps patients who struggle with or other sleep disordered breathing conditions like upper airway resistance syndrome.
Step 1: Nasal Breathing Therapy
Breathing through your mouth during sleep can lead to snoring and dry mouth (which leads to a bunch of problems like gum disease and cavities). To combat mouth breathing, the first step in the Seattle Protocol is to gently train your body to breathe through your nose. About 50% of patients get better just by being able to breathe through their nose!
Step 2-6: Temporary Dental Appliance
If step 1 isn’t sufficient, then we can progress to a temporary custom made dental appliance called a “mandibular advancement device”. With this device,we can make adjustments to how you breathe at night when you sleep.
Is The Seattle Protocol Covered by Dental Insurance?
Absolutely! To find out if you are specifically covered, we can do a complimentary benefits check.
Call Sleep Apnea Dentist in Aurora to Discuss Your Options
To setup your sleep apnea consultation, please call us at (289) 796-0420. Let’s discuss how the sleep apnea treatment can help you get your life back and sleep soundly.