A Patient's Guide

Tips for Better Sleep

Go to bed only when sleepySleep seven hours and rise at the same timeKeep your bedroom dark, quiet and coolEat a light and early dinnerMake a to-do list 30 minutes prior to bedAvoid caffeine after lunchAvoid eating and exercising prior to bedtimeAvoid alcohol and nicotine prior to bedtimeAvoid stress encounters prior to bedtimeHerbal teas and a warm bath can be helpfulExercises increases deep sleep, but not prior to bedtime

SNORING

Snoring and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are like thunder and lightning: they often occur together but not always. Snoring might just be a nuisance, while sleep apnea can pose significant health risks. If the structures in your throat are enlarged or if the jaw and tongue relax too much during sleep, it can partially or completely block the airway. As air flows past this blockage, it causes these structures to vibrate, producing the familiar sound of snoring. Snoring tends to get louder with age, weight gain, and if more of the airway is obstructed. It can be loud enough to wake you or others multiple times during the night, and it might indicate OSA. With this serious disorder, the person stops breathing periodically, which deprives the brain, heart, and blood of oxygen during sleep.

OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA (OSA)

In obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the muscles of the soft palate, the base of the tongue, and the uvula (the small, conical piece of tissue hanging at the back of your throat) relax and sag. This causes the airway to become obstructed, making breathing difficult and noisy. Sometimes, the airway walls collapse completely, blocking breathing altogether.

When this happens, pauses in breathing interrupt a person's snoring. As the body struggles to breathe, the diaphragm muscles work harder. This briefly disrupts sleep, often for just seconds, stimulating the throat muscles and opening the airway again. When breathing resumes, it's often with a deep gasp. These gasps cause the sleeper to wake up, but those moments are so brief and incomplete that the person usually does not remember them in the morning. Someone with obstructive sleep apnea may experience these pauses in breathing potentially dozens or even hundreds of times each night.

The following is a sleep quiz to help you rate the quality of your sleep patterns.

I’ve been told that I snore.
I’ve been told that I stop breathing while I sleep although I don’t remember.
I feel tired and irritable in the morning even though I sleep through the night.
I am having trouble controlling my weight.
I sweat excessively during the night.
I have noticed my heart pounding or beating irregularly during the night.
I get morning headaches.
I have trouble sleeping when I have a cold.
I have jolted awake gasping for breath during the night.
I am overweight.

If you noted three or more checked items, you should ask your doctor or dentist about sleep apnea.

TREATMENT OPTIONS

We’ll work with you to determine the best option to treat your obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Treatments can include:

Nasal CPAP, or continuous positive airway pressure, uses an air compressor to gently force air through the nasal passages and into the airway. This steady pressure keeps the airway open, enabling the person to sleep and breathe normally.

Surgery can address the physical abnormalities causing sleep apnea, but there's no simple surgical fix. Given the invasive nature of these procedures, a failed surgery can be deeply distressing for the patient. While initial success rates range from 50% to 70%, the effectiveness often diminishes over time. Unfortunately, these outcomes are irreversible.

Oral appliance therapy is a highly effective treatment for many patients dealing with snoring and obstructive sleep apnea.

Contact Us

(405) 321-8030

Monday 8A-4P
Tuesday 8A-4P
Wednesday 8A-4P
Thursday 8A-4P
Friday 8A-12P  (Business Office Only)
Closed Saturday & Sunday
448 36th Ave NW
Suite 103
Norman, OK 73072
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