It’s a new year and a time when people create a list of things they would like to change, goals they want to set, and plans they want to put in place to feel better, be healthier, and create a better future.

If the goal is to feel better, lose weight, or significantly change overall health, for 22 MILLION AMERICANS, there is one distinct resolution that could put them directly on that path to a successful outcome:  GET MORE SLEEP!

Lack of quality sleep and sleep disorders, including Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), have become a serious health issue with 80 percent of the cases of moderate and severe obstructive sleep apnea going UNDIAGNOSED. That’s a lot of people who don’t even know they have it! It affects more than 1 in 3 men and 1 in 6 women in the United States.

Sleep Disorder Symptoms

If you think you are not getting good sleep, usually between 7-8 hours each night, you may want to talk to your Primary Care doctor or a sleep specialist to see if you suffer from a sleep disorder. Here are some symptoms that may be indicators for getting tested:

• Loud snoring
• Episodes in which you stop breathing during sleep — which might be noticed by another person
• Abruptly waking up by choking or gasping
• Awakening with a sore throat, dry mouth, or headache
• Difficulty staying asleep (insomnia)
• Excessive daytime sleepiness (hypersomnia)
• Lack of energy and loss of focus
• Irritability
• Decreased sex drive
• High blood pressure

If you have any of those symptoms, talk with your doctor about scheduling a sleep study, or polysomnography. A sleep study is a diagnostic test that records your brain waves, the oxygen level in your blood, heart rate, and breathing, as well as eye and leg movements during the study.
 

How Does Treating Sleep Apnea Affect Your Health?

First, it’s important to understand what Obstructive Sleep Apnea is and how it affects your entire body. OSA is the most common sleep apnea disorder. It occurs when the muscles in the back of your throat relax and your airway narrows or closes as you breathe in. You can't get enough air, which can lower the oxygen level in your blood. This can happen 5 to 30+ times per hour, sometimes for more than 10 seconds at a time.

Your brain senses your inability to breathe and briefly rouses you from sleep so that you can reopen your airway. This awakening is usually so brief that you don't remember it, but it causes you to have an interrupted sleep pattern.

When you have sleep apnea it can cause serious health issues. But if treated, the positive effects can be profound. A good night’s sleep can generate many health benefits including:

1.    Strengthen your immune system

2.    Prevent excess weight gain

3.    Lower risk for serious health problems, like Type 2 Diabetes Stroke, and Heart Disease

4.    Reduce stress and improve mood

5.    Improve cognitive ability and memory

6.    Better mental health and decreased depression

7.    Lower inflammation

8.    Increase sex drive

Start Improving Your Health Today!

When it comes to setting New Year resolutions, some of the biggest reasons why they fail include lack of willpower, setting goals too high, and insufficient planning. If your goal is to improve your overall health and get your energy back, treating your sleep apnea is a solution and a process that does not require a great deal of effort or planning to get started.

Simply contact your PCP to schedule an appointment to discuss a treatment plan and ask for a referral for Oral Appliance Therapy. At Pennsylvania Dental Sleep Medicine, we treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea with a custom-made oral appliance that you wear in your mouth during sleep. It looks a lot like an orthodontic retainer or a sports mouthguard, although the technology behind oral appliances is more advanced

Oral appliances are easy to use and care for, they are smooth and comfortable, convenient to travel with, and are covered by most medical insurance plans.

Schedule a Consultation 

There is no better time than the present and make 2024 your year to start feeling more energized and getting back to a healthier lifestyle! To speak to someone who can help get you started, contact Pennsylvania Dental Sleep Medicine today at  717-995-3590  and one of our staff members will help guide you to a new year, a new beginning, and a new YOU in 2024!!

This blog post contains general information about medical conditions.
Resources include: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-dangers-of-uncontrolled-sleep-apnea

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sleep-apnea/symptoms-causes/syc-20377631

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325353#more-social-and-emotional-intelligence