If you feel drained when you wake up every morning because you are waking up constantly during the night, you might be suffering from a common but dangerous condition known as sleep apnea. What is sleep apnea? This is a sleep disorder which interrupts your normal sleeping patterns because your airflow is blocked as you breathe.
Today Dr. Siti Lowery of Lowery Smiles would like to review some of the ways sleep apnea might be affecting your health and well-being.
— You wake up in the morning with a dry (or sore) throat and headaches.
— You snore throughout the night and have a hard time staying asleep.
— You are extremely drowsy and irritable throughout the day.
— You have a small jaw, deviated septum, enlarged tongue or tonsils, or throat obstructions.
— You have allergies or sinus issues.
— You are male, are over 40 years old, or are overweight.
While all of these can make you susceptible to the effects of sleep apnea, you will still need to be diagnosed by a sleep physician to determine the severity of your condition and the possible treatment options. This is crucial because untreated sleep apnea can place you at higher risk of depression, stroke, heart attack, high blood pressure, and diabetes. And our dentists can help treat sleep apnea by focusing on using oral appliances to treat snoring and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
Call us at (919) 468-5501 and schedule an appointment with Dr. Siti A. Lowery, DDS to visit the dental practice at 110 Preston Executive Dr. #104, Cary, NC 27513.