Sleep apnea is a condition often confused with snoring that causes you to make loud noises during sleep. Whereas snoring is the sound of breathing during sleep, apnea is the sound emitted when breathing is interrupted and actually stops. This can be very dangerous and has links to several health problems and even sudden death form heart failure.

There are two main types of sleep apnea. The first is called obstructive sleep apnea and occurs when the soft palate at the back of the throat collapses temporarily blocking the airway. This then rights itself but the body is deprived of oxygen for a short time. This can happen many times during the night which you can imagine outs a great strain on the heart and doesn’t add up to a great night’s sleep. Obstructive apnea can usually be treated with a device from a London dentist. This device will need to be worn during the night to act as support for the palate.

The other kind of sleep apnea is called central sleep apnea and involves no physical blockage. The respiratory centre of the brain forgets to send the message to the lungs to breathe causing a temporary cessation of breathing. This is slightly harder to treat and will require an appointment with a sleep specialist.

One of the most interesting things about sleep apnea is that many people are completely unaware they are sufferers because it happens during sleep. It can have a huge impact on people’s lives, making them tired, stressed and even unwell without them knowing what is causing the problem. Ask your dentist for more information about sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea is a condition that causes patients’ breathing to be interrupted many times during the night on several nights of the week. It has also been found to thicken blood vessels and increase the risk of many forms of cardiovascular disease. It can be particularly dangerous in patients who have already suffered heart failure or who are currently suffering from heart disease.

The condition is caused, either when the soft palate at the back of the throat collapses temporarily blocking the airways, or when the central respiratory area of the brain stops sending messages to the lungs to breath. In both cases the situation usually corrects itself after a few seconds but if this is happening many times during a night you can imagine the strain it will be putting on the heart.

This continual deprivation of oxygen is known as ‘chronic intermittent hypoxia’ and can affect the state of the patients’ blood vessels. It can also cause pulmonary hypertension which causes the heart to have difficulty when pumping.

Sleep apnea can be diagnosed by your London dentist. They should be able to distinguish between the different types of apnea in order to provide the most effective treatment. Although in most cases, sleep apnea will not cause heart failure, it does increase the risk and will also be the underlying cause of many other health problems such as stress and anxiety. Treatment for obstructive sleep apnea will usually involve fitting some kind of dental appliance to prevent the palate collapsing during sleep but will vary on the individual.