“My snoring doesn’t bother me. Ha Ha Ha.”……..Right up until they have a stroke!
I hear this in my office frequently and they think it doesn’t bother them, but, they fall asleep in mid-sentence at the dinner table and have off-the-chart high blood pressure, or cardiac arrhythmia, or early onset dementia.
Snoring is often merely one symptom from a list of many associated with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which is actually the inability to maintain adequate or stable blood oxygen during sleep. Affecting more than half of us by age 50, it may be the greatest public health epidemic in our society today, and is likely the medical condition least likely to be identified and managed.
Sounds melodramatic? Well, consider the following facts. People with unmanaged OSA have a 10-20 year decreased life expectancy and often suffer from many of the following conditions including hypertension, atrial fibrillation, cardiac arrhythmia, diabetes, cognitive deficit, dementia, glaucoma, and pre-mature heart attack and stroke.
If you have OSA, or suspect you might, don’t let fear of a CPAP machine prevent you from moving forward with therapy. A custom made dental device fitting in the mouth much like an orthodontic retainer can be very effective controlling OSA and is usually much easier to use than a machine. It may even be covered in part by medical insurance or Medicare.
Call for a free consultation and sleep better today.
This is truly sleep apnea management the easy way.
J.C. Goodwin, DMD
Diplomate, American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine, and one of Arizona’s most experienced dental sleep medicine providers.
928-778-4555 www.sleepeffect.com