Get advice about sleep apnea from London dentists
About one and a half per cent of British women and three and a half per cent of British men are affected by a condition called sleep apnea. This affliction which causes the muscles in your throat to relax during sleep, thus blocking the airways, is most common in those who are over forty years of age.
When the airways are blocked, oxygen cannot reach the brain and a signal is sent to your body to wake up. As a result, those with sleep apnea have frequently disrupted sleep. As anyone who has had problems sleeping will know, this can make life difficult in several ways. Those with sleep apnea find that they are more likely to be involved in traffic accidents as they will frequently be tired in the day and have compromised reaction times. Even worse than this, studies have linked the hypertension that can be brought on by sleep apnea is linked with an increased tendency towards strokes and heart attacks.
If you are overweight or smoke your risk of developing sleep apnea increases and a tendency to drink alcohol before sleep can also bring about the condition. The use of sleeping pills and sedatives has also been linked with sleep apnea and some studies demonstrate that the disorder has a tendency to run in families, meaning you are more likely to suffer from sleep apnea if a relative has it.
Looking for a London dentist? City of London dentists are here to help.
Your London dentist has access to the parts of your mouth which are involved with sleep apnea and so they are in an excellent position to diagnose the condition during one of your six month check ups. If it is found that you have sleep apnea you might be given one of two types of device to alleviate the condition. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) masks are worn during sleep and ensure that oxygen has a free passage to the lungs, but some patients find them hard to wear. Inter oral devices (IOD) are smaller but less effective.
