Sleep Apnea

Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a type of sleeping disorder characterised by pauses in breathing or instances of shallow or infrequent breathing during sleep.

There are three types of sleep apnea: obstructive, central and mixed, with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) being the most common. People with untreated sleep apne stop breathing repeatedly in their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times during the night and often for a minute or longer.

Central Sleep Apnea

In central sleep apnea, breathing is interrupted by a lack of respiratory effort, typically for 10 to 30 seconds, either intermittently or in cycles and is usually associated with a reduction in blood oxygen saturation.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

In obstructive sleep apnea, breathing is interrupted by a physical block to airflow despite respiratory effort, and snoring is common.

This is the most common category of sleep-disordered breathing. The muscle tone of the body ordinarily relaxes during sleep, and at the level of the throat the human airway is composed of collapsible walls of soft tissue which can obstruct breathing during sleep.

The development of obstructive sleep apnea in children is different from that in adults. If a child has a chronically blocked nose due to inflammation of the nasal airways or sinuses, the child will tend to breathe through his or her mouth during sleep. Prolonged breathing through the mouth has been shown to affect a child’s facial development and possibly trigger the development of obstructive sleep apnea.

A child with obstructive sleep apnea is more likely to exhibit daytime inattention and hyperactivity.

Obstructive sleep apnea affects more adult men than women. It leads to daytime sleepiness.

The risk of obstructive sleep apnea rises with increasing body weight, active smoking and age. In addition, patients with diabetes or borderline diabetes have up to 3 times the risk of having obstructive sleep apnea.

Research has also shown that obstructive sleep apnea is a risk factor for hypertension, stroke and heart failure in adults.

Mixed Sleep Apnea

Complex apnea is a combination of both central and obstructive apnea. Some people with sleep apnea have a combination of both types. When obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is severe and longstanding, episodes of central apnea sometimes develop. The exact mechanism of the loss of central respiratory drive during sleep in OSA is unknown but is most commonly related to acid-base and Carbon Dioxide feedback malfunctions stemming from heart failure. There is a constellation of diseases and symptoms relating to body mass, cardiovascular, respiratory, and occasionally, neurological dysfunction that have a synergistic effect in sleep-disordered breathing.

Symptons Of Sleep Apnea

  • Headaches in the morning
  • Dry mouth in the morning
  • Excessive gasping or snoring during sleep
  • Difficulty falling asleep

Anti-Snoring Devices

The SNOREPRO™ sleeping aid is a custom-made plastic oral device worn in the mouth. It is designed to keep the lower jaw slightly forward and ensure the airway remains open during sleep. Hence, it helps the user breathe more easily, quietly and healthily, achieving a more restful and comfortable night of sleep. On top of that, it helps to relieve the user from dry mouth and sore throat. The best thing is that it helps the user to stop annoying those around him/her!

Your dentist will take impression of your upper and lower teeth to create stone casts of your mouth. It will be sent to the laboratory for fabrication and your dentist will issue the device to you in approximately 5-10 working days.

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