Did you know that obstructive sleep apnea can cause heart disease? Many people are aware that high cholesterol and smoking are common contributors to heart disease but are unaware of the connection between heart problems and sleep issues. OSA or Obstructive Sleep Apnea is a serious condition where your airway is blocked during sleep. This leads to low levels of oxygen and even lower sleep quality.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
OSA is a serious condition. Left untreated, it can lead to a significant increase in fatal heart conditions like:
- Coronary artery disease
- Chronic hypertension
- Congestive heart failure
- Atherosclerosis (buildup in the arteries)
Recent studies of Obstructive Sleep Apnea show that the risk of heart attacks and heart failure rises by 140% and coronary heart disease rises by 30%. Even scarier, an estimated 38,000 deaths a year may be attributed to OSA.
What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea
When your airway collapses during sleep, leading to repeated suffocation and increasing the risk of severe health issues, this is a serious condition called Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Often starting as snoring, nearly 1 in 4 adults over 30 are unknowingly suffering from at least mild sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is basically repeated episodes of partial or complete suffocation (sometimes lasting a minute or more) caused by your body choking on itself. These episodes repeat constantly while you sleep, causing a bunch of health problems that can lead to an increased risk of stroke, heart attack, and even death.
What causes these episodes of suffocation? The collapse in your airway is usually due to the soft tissues in your mouth, tongue, or throat closing down and blocking your airflow during sleep. The first sign of this is usually snoring, which is caused by your body trying to breathe through a narrow airway. If left untreated snoring often escalates to full OSA where the narrow airway is now completely blocked.
Risk Factors of Obstructive Sleep Apnea
- Do you snore loudly (louder than a person talking or loud enough to be heard through closed doors)?
- Has your spouse or bed partner ever observed you stop or pause breathing in your sleep?
- Are you overweight or obese?
- Are you over 50 years old?
- Is your neck circumference greater than 16 inches?
- Do you have or are you being treated for high blood pressure?
- Are you male?
- Do you often feel tired, fatigued, or sleepy during the day?
What can you do to prevent OSA and protect yourself from heart disease?
Taking steps to treat obstructive sleep apnea is critical for your overall health—especially your heart. Here’s what you can do:
- Adopt a heart-healthy lifestyle: Regular exercise and a nutritious diet can strengthen your heart and, in some cases, even improve your obstructive sleep apnea.
- Visit your dentist for a free consultation to discuss OSA and get an oral mouthguard custom-made for you that will help you manage this health problem.
The OSA mouthguard appliance works by holding your lower jaw in an exact position while sleeping. This keeps the soft tissues in your throat and neck from collapsing and causing nighttime choking and suffocating episodes. The mouthguard we make for you will be custom-made for your teeth and will fit much like a sports mouthguard.
This type of mouthguard is good for:
- People who snore
- CPAP: People who can’t tolerate or refuse to try CPAP or want to travel without a CPAP machine
- Sleep Apnea: People who have mild, moderate, or severe sleep apnea
- Healthy mouth: people who have good oral habits and disease-free teeth and gums
Advantages of a mouthguard for OSA:
- It is comfortable and easy to wear
- The mouthguard is barely noticeable and noise-free
- Travel with it is simple
- The mouthpiece will not bother your sleeping partner
- Your appliance is typically covered by medical insurance and Medicare
Are you a candidate for an oral mouthpiece to help stop sleep apnea and better protect your heart?
Don’t let this undiagnosed condition put your health at risk. Most people are great candidates for sleep apnea mouthguards. The only way to tell for sure is to schedule a consultation with your dentist a Mid Cities Dental. During your consultation, we will evaluate your airway and possibly send you home with a sleep-testing device. Also, we can screen airway problems through a simple CT scan at our office which can evaluate if you have constriction in your airway. Once everything is reviewed you can discuss treatment options for OSA.