Delicate Dental Arts

Blog

A close-up of a woman lying in bed while covering her face with her hands.

Sleep Apnea– my journey

Sleep Apnea

Do you suffer from aches and pains?  Do you wake up a lot during the night?  Are you on different medications?  When you don’t get enough quality sleep or enough oxygen to your body, you are not living to your optimal health.  You might be trying to do things to alleviate your symptoms, but none of these are addressing the root cause of the problem.  Now, we know that we can do more than cover up the problem.  When you can open up your airway, sleep well, and breathe well, your body will be able to heal itself.  Your neck and shoulder won’t be trying to compensate by doing the “CPR” head tilt to get more oxygen. You will be able to breathe through your nose better.  There are so many undiagnosed sleep apnea in the world.

I have been to 5 different chiropractors for my stiff neck.  I always thought it was due to occupational hazard, but still had them during vacations.  Massages and chiropractor adjustments made me feel better but not for long.  I wake up at least 6 to 7 times every night and I thought it was because I am just a “light sleeper.”  Recently, during a dental course, I was able to do an at home sleep test and learn more about sleep apnea.  The test showed that I have very little deep sleep and low oxygen during my sleep.  I remember gasping awake sometimes but not knowing why.  Suddenly, it all made sense.  I have sleep apnea.

When your body does not get enough oxygen during your sleep, it goes into a “fight or flight” mode and your pulse and blood pressure goes up, your body heats up, you grind your teeth.  Your body is trying to alert you to breathe.  Long term, this is very detrimental to your health.

Imagine if you slept well all night and had great oxygen flow all day.  Your cognitive ability would increase.  You would have more energy for life.  Your body would have the rest it needs to increase your immune system.  Quality sleep will promote immune cells that fight cancer.

For the first time ever, scientists are predicting that our average longevity will actually decrease.  Due to processed food for babies, pacifiers, lack of breast feeding, and early teeth lost due to orthodontics treatment, human development has suffered.  Instead of babies using their sucking motion to breast feed and eat whole foods later on, their jaw and tongue do not develop correctly, which will follow throughout their lifetime.  Severe sleep apnea in children will affect their lives in school, their behavior, and their overall development.  Many sleep apnea children will not only suffer emotionally, but will get many ear/throat infections, and asthmatic or allergic symptoms.

How do we increase our quality of life from sleep apnea?  We need to do a multi-factorial examination into the face structure.  Then we can determine if we can open up the airway by using orthopedic expanders, clear the nasal passages, correct the tongue posture, and correct our posture.  So many well –intentioned health care providers out there just are not aware of the significance of sleep apnea or the possibilities of treating it.  Please call our office for more information.  We want to spread the word and help as many people as possible.  We can discuss how we can help you and your loved ones.

https://player.vimeo.com/video/255471478   older man, lack of sleep and rest

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-8b99rGpkM  damage of sleep deprive Matthew walker

 

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130124122741.htm  article of snoring and health risks

More Articles