When you're sleeping, do you ever stop breathing? Most people's bodies take over and breathe again on their own. But for some people, this doesn't happen.
When the muscles in your throat and tongue relax, air can escape through your mouth or nose. That's ok because you don't need to breathe through your mouth or nose while you're sleeping. But apnea happens when something cuts off the airway, making it hard to breathe in and out. Dr. Steven H. Kigawa can help you!
People who have this condition often snore loudly or stop breathing for a few seconds or more during sleep. People with apnea often don't know they have it because they never remember waking up. But apnea can lead to other health problems, including heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, or sudden death from lack of oxygen.
Many research studies have shown that sleep-disordered breathing, such as sleep apnea, can be ameliorated with a custom-made dental appliance.
Symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea include loud snoring and arousals from sleep which lead to poor quality of life and serious medical problems, but many patients are unaware they have the disease because they often do not remember these arousals.