All About the Sleep Apnea Mouthpiece
Are you or someone in your family suffering the symptoms of sleep apnea? If so, you already know the dangers this condition presents, and you know that treatment is needed if you want to avoid these dangerous circumstances. But with all the treatments available, how do you decide which one is right for you? In this article we will introduce you to one such treatment option – an option that has helped curb the symptoms for thousands of people – and that is the sleep apnea mouthpiece.
If you’re not familiar with sleep apnea, or you’ve only been recently diagnosed, it is a breathing disorder that happens during sleep in which the affected person actually stops breathing momentarily while he or she is asleep. This can happen either because the brain fails to send a signal to breathe (this is called central apnea), or when there is some type of obstruction, usually soft tissues, blocking the airway in the throat (this is referred to as obstructive apnea). These pauses in breathing, which can happen several times during the course of a night, can cause your sleep to be interrupted, and might even jolt you wide awake. Obviously this has a major effect on the quality of sleep you receive, but if left untreated, this disorder can eventually lead to a whole host of medical conditions including a heart attack, high blood pressure, and even a stroke.
Depending on the severity and cause of your disorder, your doctor will usually try one of many different approaches to help open your airway while you sleep. These treatments are not merely designed to cure the symptoms of apnea, such as snoring, but also to prevent more serious complications due to the interruptions in your normal breathing pattern. A CPAP breathing machine, for example, is sometimes prescribed to people with moderate to severe condition as a way to ensure that a steady stream of air enters the throat and lungs overnight. And for those with mild to moderate symptoms, doctors may prescribe a dental appliance known as a sleep apnea mouthpiece.
A sleep apnea mouthpiece is a device that is fitted by a dentist to form your mouth, and it resembles a mouth guard worn by a sports athlete. The main purpose of this mouthpiece is to push the lower jaw forward, thus opening up the airway to allow the maximum amount of air to enter the mouth, throat and lungs. Those suffering from mild apnea will know the sleep apnea mouthpiece is working by the improvement in their sleep and their energy level in the morning, while those living with them will notice a major reduction in nighttime snoring – an obvious benefit for those trying to sleep near the affected person.
If you’re looking for an effective treatment against the symptoms of sleep apnea, or if you’d just like to curb the amount of snoring each night, the sleep apnea mouthpiece might be just the device you’ve been looking for.
Learn more about the sleep apnea mouthpiece and discover the latest information about the various treatments available for this disorder.
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