What Is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a serious health condition in which patients suffer from lapses of breathing throughout the night due to an obstruction in the airway. Typically, patients will stop breathing for a range of a couple of seconds to a couple of minutes. When this occurs, patients with sleep apnea may wake up or make choking sounds when trying to breathe.
Learn more about sleep disorders and the effective sleep apnea treatments in Nashua, NH that Dr. Stephen Ura offers with our guide to sleep apnea below.
Seeking CPAP Alternatives?
Sleep apnea can be effectively treated with a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) mask. This electric-powered machine generates pressurized airflow into your throat, keeping your airway open throughout the night, and allowing you to breathe regularly. However, some patients find CPAP loud, restrictive, and inconvenient.
One of the main drawbacks of a CPAP machine is that it forces you to sleep on your back, which can become tedious. If you need to get up at night for any reason, you have to unhook the machine and put it back on again. Additionally, traveling with a CPAP machine can be challenging.
Oral Appliance Therapy in Nashua, NH
Fortunately, our Nashua, NH, sleep dentist offers a CPAP alternative treatment that’s convenient and effective. An oral appliance is a small device that resembles a retainer or mouthguard used by athletes. It gently repositions your lower jaw to keep your airway open while you sleep.
The oral appliances available at the Center for Dental Sleep Health are custom-made to match your specific needs. Plus, unlike CPAP machines, they’re quiet, easy to use, and travel-friendly. With CPAP, you’re dealing with side effects, but there are no side effects with oral appliances. They’re also more affordable than CPAP machines. Since they don’t make any noise, both you and your sleep partner can get a full night of restful sleep without interruption.
Sleep Apnea Can Affect Your Health
Unfortunately, many patients who have sleep apnea don’t realize they’re suffering from a serious medical condition. In addition to making you feel fatigued and sleepy during the day, untreated sleep apnea increases your risk for several serious health issues, including diabetes, and depression, as well as cardiovascular health issues such as heart disease and strokes.
Because sleep apnea often leaves patients feeling drowsy during the day, it hampers your performance at work and also increases your odds of suffering from a dangerous automobile accident. Additional health consequences of sleep apnea include anxiety, depression, reduced motivation, and diminished libido.
Sleep Apnea & Snoring
Heavy snoring is a common symptom of sleep apnea. Further signs that your snoring is related to sleep apnea include excessive fatigue, morning headaches, and sore throat, or when you stop breathing while sleeping and make gasping noises as you begin to resume breathing.
If you think your loud snoring might be a symptom of sleep apnea, Dr. Ura will make sure you get the right diagnosis and treatment for you. If it turns out your heavy snoring isn’t related to sleep apnea, we can still treat your snoring. In either case, our Nashua, NH, sleep dentistry office has solutions to provide the relief you need.
Receive Effective Sleep Apnea Treatment
Ready to achieve a full night’s sleep and wake up feeling refreshed once again? Dr. Ura and our professional team offer a variety of treatments for patients suffering from sleep apnea or chronic snoring to ensure their health gets back on track. Don’t let restless nights hinder your life any longer. Learn more by scheduling an appointment at our Nashua office by calling (603) 237-1124.
You can also get in touch by filling out our online contact form, and one of our staff members will get back to you shortly. Dr. Ura and our team proudly provide sleep apnea services to the Nashua community and surrounding areas such as Hudson, Merrimack, and Milford, NH. We look forward to hearing from you!