Sleep Apnea Oral Appliance Article

Sleep Apnea-Basic Information

You may already know what sleep apnea is, but for those who don’t, sleep apnea is a term used to describe what happens to some people when they are asleep and stop breathing for a few minutes. Oftentimes, this happens many times during the night, and can be a potentially fatal condition. If you are overweight, then you are much more likely to have sleep apnea than someone who maintains their ideal body weight, so you need to get your weight under control as soon as possible to lower your risk.

There are many things you can do on your own to help control and prevent your sleep apnea, but before you learn how to do that, you need to learn more about what sleep apnea is, and how it can affect you. There is one very definite sign of sleep apnea that almost every apnea patient has, which is snoring. Snoring is a sign of breathing difficulties, whether from apnea, congestion, or just bad sleeping position. Snoring not only affects your sleep, leaving you tired and fatigued, but your spouse’s sleep as well. If you wake up at night feeling as though you are choking or can’t breathe, then you may very well be suffering from the effects of sleep apnea.

In major cases of sleep apnea, people will wake up many times throughout the course of the night choking. The frequent nighttime waking leads to extreme fatigue the next day, leading to irritability and trouble concentrating at work, which could lead to job termination and even depression, for both you, and very likely your spouse as well, especially if you snore loudly.

People who have sleep apnea have difficulties staying awake long enough to even drive their children to school, watch a thirty minute television show, or sit through church. They are so sleep deprived that their body basically starts initiating more and more sleep, trying to make up for what it has lost.

Those close to you will often complain about you being moody, or exceptionally short tempered and irritable, asking you what is wrong. Little do you know, but this too can be caused by your sleep apnea. The less sleep you get, the worse you feel, and the more irritable you become.

If you suffer from sleep apnea, you may also experience a huge decrease in your sex drive, which can lead to marriage and relationship difficulties, not to mention self esteem issues. If you are suffering from extreme fatigue, sex is likely to be the last thing on your mind, and your spouse may not always understand this fact.

People who have sleep apnea also will wake up in the mornings with their body aching, and feeling as though they haven’t even been in bed at all. They are also very likely to experience severe headaches, even migraines from their lack of sleep.

If you have any of the mentioned problems, then you should mention them to your doctor, so that you can get sleep apnea treatment, and get your life and relationships back on track where they should be. Change your diet, and exercise so that you can get the rest you need to live the life you deserve.