Go To Sleep Center Blog

During chilly fall and winter evenings, do you turn the thermostat up in your house? Perhaps you like to be very warm and cozy as you are drifting off to sleep. Or do you like your bedroom to be slightly on the cool side? While indoor temperature might seem like purely a matter of personal preference, it can actually have a bearing on your health. Specifically, it could affect your sleep apnea symptoms. Just how does temperature affect sleep apnea? This blog post explains.

Do you frequently wake up to discover a damp area on your pillow where your mouth used to be? Have you experienced waking up with uncomfortable or dry lips, particularly at the edges? These signs could strongly suggest that you’ve been drooling during your sleep. While this might come across as a minor concern, it could potentially be linked to a more significant issue, like sleep apnea. Keep reading to understand the relationship between these two circumstances and to explore potential remedies.

Most people have at least heard of sleep apnea, and maybe you even know someone with the condition. But how much do you really understand it? The truth is that many people only have a basic idea of sleep apnea, but these four unsettling facts will reveal just how serious it is and how important it is to seek treatment right away.

An airway screening may be a new concept to some, but it is quickly becoming a standard part of your dentist’s oral exams. Along with the oral cancer screening and TMJ evaluation, the airway screening is designed to help catch a small problem before it turns into a much larger (and potentially deadly) issue.

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that causes you to stop breathing while you sleep and can have devastating effects on your quality of life. It’s formally diagnosed using a sleep study or polysomnogram, but the first steps to deciding whether you need a sleep study start at home and with an exam by a qualified professional. Many symptoms related to sleep apnea are misdiagnosed as separate medical issues. Some of the most common are:

Obstructive sleep apnea or OSA is a common condition affecting over 22 million people. Studies suggest that as many as 1 in 50 Americans are undiagnosed. The most common symptoms of sleep apnea are daytime fatigue, insomnia, snoring, awakening with a gasp or startling yourself awake, waking with dry mouth or a sore throat and headache. In some cases, you may not realize you stop breathing or snore loudly enough to wake your family. Sometimes, a partner or spouse can tell you if you exhibit some of these symptoms while you are asleep.

Snoring is one of the most common sleep problems, and most people wouldn’t think it’s important to tell their dentist that they snore. A snore on its own is relatively harmless, but it can also be a sign of something more serious, like sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea is more than just a condition that makes you snore loudly or wake up tired. Left untreated, sleep apnea can cause severe medical problems and even death. It is a severe medical disorder and should be treated with the help of experts.

According to a 2015 study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 73% of participants diagnosed with sleep apnea also exhibited symptoms of depression. After three months of dedicated sleep apnea treatment, that number dropped to 4%. This begs the question: Is it depression or sleep apnea?

Everyone experiences a headache occasionally, but for some, waking up with a headache is a chronic problem. Some people believe they have migraines, but they could, in fact, have sleep apnea. If you wake up with a headache often, you should see a sleep specialist to rule out sleep apnea as a cause. A common symptom of sleep apnea is waking up with headaches. In fact, it is estimated that as many as at least 50% of people who wake up with headaches might have sleep apnea. Other symptoms of sleep apnea may include daytime fatigue, insomnia, snoring, waking up with a gasp or startling yourself awake, waking with dry mouth, redness and other signs of irritation in your mouth and throat.