There are a lot of things that go on in our bodies that we take for granted in Leeds; from walking, talking, digesting…we just expect our bodies to perform naturally, and this also goes for when we fall asleep at night, we naturally assume we’ll wake up the next morning rejuvenated. However, if you find yourself waking up with headaches, still tired, grumpy and then as the day progresses, you still feel fatigued, then this is a sign that your body may not be working quite so naturally when you were asleep and, you may be suffering from Sleep Apnea. This is a condition that involves the way the brainstem regulates the breathing in the lungs and then the way the blood is pumped around the body by the heart, and if one part of this is interfered with, it can intermittently stop you breathing up to 10 seconds at a time and as all three of these organs rely on each other to function, the whole body can become confused. This is extremely dangerous because it can lead to the heart failing altogether. One of the main ways is to keep the airwaves free at night; a dentist can prescribe a device to aid the breathing, in some cases, medication can help, but in serious cases, surgery may be required

When we pack down for the night in central Leeds, the body goes into automatic and the heart, the brain and the lungs take over. All of these three units work together to regulate the breathing as you sleep. However, if there is a blockage somewhere down the line, especially in the mouth, these three start to work in an irregular fashion that makes the breathing intermittent; snoring is one of the side effects. Dentists are well aware of this problem because they realise what the overall downside is. Keeping your teeth free from gum disease prevents poisoning of the heart and allows you to sleep peacefully. But that’s not the only way to fight this problem- sleep apnea works in mysterious ways. It can cause breathing to become so irregular, it can give you a terrible night’s sleep. And the way you wake too can affect the heart as you pull out of the sleep. Over a sustained period of time, all of the major three units will start to operate dysfunction ally causing a total brake down in the sleep pattern and then your health will deteriorate,: poor sleep will show itself through stress and mood swings. Other than keeping yourself healthy and once the problem has been identified, your dentist will prescribe devices to wear at night to support the flow of air to the lungs. If this fails to work, an operation may be required.

Your dentist has all sorts of things to look out for in your mouth when you go and see him or her for your six month check up. Things like tooth decay and gum disease are obvious but many people don’t know that dentists can also spot the signs of sleep apnea, a debilitating condition which interrupts sleep. Read on to find out more information about it.
Sleep apnea occurs when muscles at the rear of patient’s mouth relax too much during sleep and oxygen is unable to get into the body. The brain will send a signal to wake up the body every time this happens so patient’s sleep can be severely disrupted. In some cases patients are unaware that they are actually waking up, they are more drifting into a lighter state of sleep but feel very tired during the day.
All of this means that sleep apnea patients have an increased risk of hypertension to contend with. Heart attacks and strokes become a greater concern too as well as the general fatigue they will experience. Leeds dentists can help to diagnose sleep apnea by examining the muscles in question during one of the six months check-ups which should be part of your routine.
Sleep apnea can be combatted by the wearing of one of several inter oral devices during sleep. In their various forms they ensure that oxygen get flow into the lungs unimpeded. Sometimes it might be a case of recognising what is causing your sleep apnea in the first place and then making the necessary changes to your lifestyle. Drinking alcohol before sleep can be a contributing factor and smokers are more prone to sleep apnea.

If, while sleeping, you experience interruptions in or obstructions to your breathing you may be suffering from sleep apnea. Affecting about 1.5% of women and 3.5% of men in Britain sleep apnea mainly occurs in those over forty year of age. For periods of about five seconds at a time your throat muscles relax and the airways are temporarily blocked.

Sleep apnea can have many detrimental effects on the life of a sufferer. Car crashes and other accidents become more likely as those afflicted will have reduced reaction times. There is also evidence that resulting hypertension can bring on heart attacks and strokes. When your muscles relax and your airway closes a message is sent to your brain and your deep sleep ends so that oxygen can get to your lungs once more. The disruption to sleep is extremely inconvenient.

Those who are overweight are more likely to be afflicted as are smokers and people who consume alcohol just before sleep. Consumption of sleeping pills or the use of sedatives can also increase your risk of developing sleep apnea. Hormonal changes too mean that chances of apnea are higher but studies have also shown that it is a genetic condition which runs in families.

Your Central Leeds dentist can help in the diagnosis of the condition and can then proscribe one of several devices to help stop it. Dentists have access to the afflicted areas which include the tongue and soft palate at the rear of the mouth. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) involves wearing a mask while sleeping which ensures a continual flow of oxygen into the lungs. Inter oral devices (IOD) are less effective than CPAP but also less cumbersome as they are smaller and fit into the mouth.

Contact your Central Leeds dentist today if you are worried about sleep apnea.