Seeking CPAP Alternatives?
Known as the gold standard for treating sleep apnea, a CPAP mask is an electric-powered machine that generates pressurized airflow into your throat, keeping the airway open and allowing you to breathe regularly throughout the night. Despite its effectiveness, many patients complain that CPAP is loud, restrictive, and a hassle to use.
A CPAP machine forces you to sleep on your back, which can get pretty tedious. And if you need to get up at night for any reason, you have to unhook your CPAP machine and then put it back on again. It’s also difficult to travel with a CPAP machine.
An oral appliance is a convenient treatment alternative to CPAP. It’s a small device looks a lot like a retainer or a mouthguard used by athletes. An oral appliance works by gently repositioning your lower jaw to keep the airway open while you sleep.
Unlike a CPAP machine, the oral appliances we feature at the Center for Dental Sleep Health are quiet, travel-friendly, and easy to use. Plus, it’s custom-made and designed to match your specific needs. This alternative is also more affordable than CPAP. And since it doesn’t make any noise, an oral appliance allows both you and your sleep partner to 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 a number of serious health issues including heart disease, diabetes, depression, and strokes.
Because sleep apnea often leaves patients feeling drowsy during the day, it hampers your performance at work and it also increases your odds of suffering from a dangerous automobile accident. Additional health consequences of sleep apnea include anxiety, depression, reduced motivation, and a 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 then 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 the treatment that’s right for you. If it turns out that your heavy snoring is not related to sleep apnea, we can still treat your snoring. In either case, we have solutions to provide the relief you need.