Unmasking the Culprit: What Is Sleep Apnea?

Gather ’round, health enthusiasts and nocturnal adventurers, for a tale most troubling yet all too common. Our villain tonight is not one of folklore, but a foe that lurks in the shadows of our bedrooms: sleep apnea. This dastardly disruptor of dreams is no mere snorer’s complaint but a bona fide breathing brouhaha that turns rest into a restless endeavor.

In the realm of slumber, sleep apnea is the thief that steals your breath away—literally. Imagine, if you will, your body taking a pause on breathing, not just once, but perhaps hundreds of times throughout the night. These pauses are not dramatic pauses for effect but rather, perilous periods where oxygen and your body part ways, leaving you gasping and grappling for air.  This happens because the muscles in the back of the throat relax and cause the airway to narrow or close as you are breathing. The brain kicks in and briefly rouses you causing you to wake up, snort, choke or make gasping sounds. These reactions are so quick you may not remember. The effects create the inability to reach a restful state causing you to be tired during the day.

There are three known accomplices in this nighttime heist: obstructive, central and complex sleep apnea syndromes. The most notorious of the trio, obstructive sleep apnea, plays its hand when the muscles at the back of your throat decide to take an ill-timed siesta, collapsing and blocking the very airways they’re supposed to protect. Central sleep apnea, the more insidious cousin, sees the brain forgetting its lines, failing to signal the muscles to breathe. Then, in a twist of fate, complex sleep apnea syndrome enters, blending the characteristics of its kin, proving that sometimes, the whole is indeed more menacing than the sum of its parts.

So, there you have it, a peek behind the curtain at the antagonist of our nighttime narratives. Sleep apnea, in all its guises, waits in the wings, ready to turn your sleep into an unintended adventure.

The Ripple Effect: How Sleep Apnea Affects Your Health

Ladies and gentlemen, fasten your seatbelts and prepare for a journey into the shadowy impacts of sleep apnea on your health. This insidious condition does more than just pilfer your Z’s; it embarks on a nefarious quest to undermine your well-being, one breath at a time. Think of it as the health equivalent of a computer virus, silently corrupting your system while you’re none the wiser.

Imagine, if you will, your body as a bustling city. Sleep apnea is the unexpected traffic jam causing chaos on the roads, leading to a domino effect of problems citywide: high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke.  These are the pileups on the freeway, slowing down emergency services and causing widespread distress. Diabetes? Consider the power outage at the traffic lights, throwing crossroads into disarray. Depression sneaks in like the creeping fog, clouding judgment and dampening spirits.

Sleep apnea directly correlates with higher risks of cardiovascular disease. The National Health Institute found high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, heart attack and stroke can occur if not addressed. In addition, this increases the risk of heart rhythm problems known as arrhythmias. Arrhythmias can lower your blood pressure. Your poor little heart just can’t pump enough oxygenated blood to the brain and becomes overworked.  This is why you are tired.

But wait, there’s more. The Mayo Clinic found risk factors that increase this development to be: excessive weight, older age, having a narrow airway, hypertension, chronic nasal congestion, smoking, diabetes, family history and asthma.  This condition doesn’t stop at the metaphorical city limits. It extends its reach to the jaw, stirring up trouble in the form of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders. Sleep apnea often causes the body to naturally push the jaw forward. This motion of the jaw moving back and forth causes stress and tension within the masseters. This in turn increases TMJ problems. Another aspect let’s not forget is inflammation, the silent alarm that signals something is amiss in the body. Together, they form a formidable gang, wreaking havoc and leaving a trail of health woes in their wake.

In the grand scheme of things, sleep apnea is not just a nighttime nuisance but a health hazard with far-reaching consequences. The key to thwarting this villain lies in recognizing its presence and taking action. Because in the battle for your health, knowledge and intervention are your greatest allies.

Knight in Shining Armor: Treatments That Can Help

Fear not weary sleepers, for our tale of nocturnal nuisance, need not end in despair. The kingdom of sleep science offers a veritable armory of solutions to combat the villainous sleep apnea, each weapon more innovative than the last. Leading the cavalry charge against this nightly adversary is my team and I. We start with a CBCT X-ray and an at-home sleep test. I always recommend this to my patients. The first tool is an X-ray. This diagnostic tool allows us to measure the airflow and see the skull highlighting the neck and jaw area. The sleep test (insurance may require an in-lab) gives us the AHI (Apnea Hypopnea Index). If severe (AHI ≥ 30 per hour) the knight in shining armor is the CPAP machine delivering a constant airstream to keep the pathways of breath open. For those with minimal (AHI < 5 per hour), mild (AHI  ≥ 5, but < 15  per hour), or moderate (AHI ≥ 15, but < 30) the knight is an oral sleep appliance. This appliance pushes the jaw forward opening the airway. This is a great option for those who prefer their armor a bit less conspicuous. Think of it as a dental retainer with a PhD in airflow management.

Lastly, let’s not forget the foot soldiers in our battle for uninterrupted slumber: lifestyle changes. Though they may not carry the immediate clout of their mechanical and surgical counterparts, their contributions to the war effort are invaluable, often preventing the enemy from gaining ground in the first place. Posture is a major player in breathing — be aware of keeping your neck and head straight at all times and you will breathe better. It’s that simple. Weight loss could also be a benefit.

Armed with these interventions, sleep apnea’s days of unchecked tyranny are numbered. Choose your weapons wisely, consult with the wise wizards (also known as sleep specialists), and prepare to reclaim the night.

Breathing Easier: Tips for Improving Nighttime Breathing

Ah, the quest for serene slumbers and untroubled breathing! For those embarking on this noble journey, fear not, for there are strategies aplenty to enhance your nocturnal respiration. First and foremost, let’s talk about your sleeping posture. Much like choosing the right dance partner, selecting the side-lying position over the back or stomach can lead to a more harmonious relationship with your airway. Imagine your body as a flute; when positioned correctly, the music (or in this case, air) flows freely.

Next, consider the siren’s call of the evening libation. While tempting, alcohol and sedatives are akin to inviting a bull into the china shop of your throat muscles; they relax them just a tad too much, leading to an increased chance of obstruction. Opt instead for a soothing herbal tea, which plays more nicely with your body’s internal orchestra.

And in the realm of the corporeal kingdom, maintaining a fortress at a healthy weight acts as a formidable defense against the siege of sleep apnea. Excess weight can add pressure on the throat, narrowing the airway’s halls, and inviting trouble to your nightly repose. Did you know that your tongue can harbor fat? Well, it can, and if it does this will actually block your airway.

Transform your bedroom into a haven for slumber with a few lifestyle tweaks that could rival any fairy tale. If you’ve ever envied Sleeping Beauty for her effortless dozing, worry not. Your castle awaits, no wicked fairy required. First, banish the blue light brigade. Yes, your kingdom of screens – smartphones, tablets, laptops – emits a glow that could keep even the sleepiest heads wide awake. Swap out scrolling for a book (the kind with actual pages) and watch your eyelids grow heavy with the promise of dreams.

Next, create a bedtime ritual more sacred than the royal coronation. A warm bath, some gentle yoga or a few minutes of meditation can signal to your body that it’s time to wind down. Think of it as lowering the drawbridge and preparing the castle for nightfall.

Temperature plays a court jester in your quest for quality sleep, too. Keep your sleeping quarters cool, akin to a crisp, autumn evening in the enchanted forest. Your body’s internal thermostat will thank you, offering deeper sleep as tribute.

Lastly, for the realm’s finest slumber, consistency is key. Keep to a sleep schedule as diligently as a knight adheres to his quest. Hitting the hay and rising with the sun at the same times daily sets your internal clock to ‘serene’, paving the way for restorative rest.

By implementing these strategies, not only do you stand a better chance at defeating the nefarious sleep apnea, but you also set the stage for a night where dreams can indeed come true, free of unwanted interruptions.

The Dream Team: When to Seek Professional Help

Should the specter of sleep apnea start haunting your slumbers, it’s time to call in the big guns: your healthcare dream team. We are seasoned professionals, equipped with their arsenal of sleep studies and diagnostic tools, and stand ready to dive deep into the mysteries of your nocturnal disturbances. A sleep study, whether it’s an epic adventure in a high-tech lab or a solo quest at home, is the key to unlocking the secrets of your sleep patterns. It’s like having your own personal detective agency, investigating the who, what, when and why of your interrupted breathing. With this report, our team can tailor a battle strategy uniquely suited to vanquish your sleep apnea, transforming restless nights into peaceful slumber. Remember, in the saga of sleep, you’re the hero, and it’s perfectly okay to call for reinforcements. After all, even superheroes work best with a little help from their friends.

Dr. Jeffrey Brown, and the rest of our team at Sleep & TMJ Therapy are here to help you get a good night’s sleep with sleep apnea treatments in Falls Church, Virginia. Please call our office at 703-821-1103 to learn more!

The post Sleep Apnea: The Unsung Villain in Your Nighttime Story first appeared on Sleep & TMJ Therapy.

MFT refers to Myofunctional Therapy. This means that if you can learn how to stretch your tongue and strengthen the muscles of the face, then as you get a bit older these muscle groups will stay tauter and less droopy over time. This equates to less airway obstruction. Less fat tissue drooping into your throat means the airway will function better and your AHI (Apnea Hypopnea Index) can be lowered. While treating airway disorders, a sleep apnea test is usually performed. The AHI number will be determined. An AHI of lower than 5 is usually a good number, but when it creeps up to 10 and above, this means sleep apnea could be present. If sleep apnea is present, it needs to be dealt with.  Sleep apnea affects more than just your sleep.  Daytime drowsiness can lead to difficulty concentrating and irritability.

Before discussing MFT further, there are more abbreviations to understand.  The term OSA refers to Obstructive Sleep Apnea. OSA just means that you have sleep apnea, and the AHI is relatively high. It is always important to know your numbers regarding OSA and know why a higher number is a bad sign. So do your sleep test, determine what the AHI number is, and you will know how bad the OSA is. This will help you understand how to fix the problem and the severity of your sleep apnea.

Many people would help their own health if they exercised regularly. Imagine if you exercise your tongue, your cheeks, your neck, your forehead; this would allow all the muscles of the head and neck to work better and not be so flaccid. As we get older, all these muscles simply become saggier. The less-tone flabby muscles in the throat begin to close the throat. Did you know that your tongue can harbor tremendous amounts of fat tissue? This tissue is very difficult to get rid of because practically no one exercises the tongue the way it should!

The real problem with MFT, as mentioned previously, is that even when you really should do the exercises, most do not. They are too busy, don’t really care, or think it’s kind of a silly thing. But, when they learn that the muscular system of the throat is just like working the biceps, the traps, the thighs, they more or less ‘get it.’

Learn about MFT and how it might help you because it will help you stay healthier longer.  If you’d like a more natural approach to helping reduce your OSA, this is worth looking into!  There are online resources to help you learn where to look.

The post How MFT Can Help AHI, OSA, & Other Abbreviations first appeared on Sleep & TMJ Therapy.

Did you know that your tongue can hold fat deposits, just like your belly? If you were ever overweight in the past, your tongue would likely have fat deposits in it, and these are kind of hard to lose. The tongue, like any other muscle in the human body, needs to exercise. But like most patients who are referred to a myofunctional therapist, they don’t go, they won’t do it. It costs money and time, and they feel like it’s kind of silly to exercise this area of the body. Well, folks, it does work and does make lots of sense, so get out there and start exercising that tongue!

In so many cases where a patient has sleep apnea, the tongue is quite large and is full of fat tissue. This can readily be seen on an X-ray that shows the tongue and what can be seen is that the tongue is elevated because it is thick due to fat deposition. Like so many areas of the human body, if you exercise the tongue and surrounding tissues, the fat will decrease over time which will effectively open the airway for better breathing. Snoring usually reduces as well as the tongue becomes smaller and tighter. The tissues around the tongue also become more toned with these exercises so if you have sleep apnea, it might reduce as you exercise this area over time. In fact, in many of the dental sleep medicine training programs, it is taught that myofunctional exercises are mandatory to improve a patient’s health.

There are other obvious benefits to exercising your tongue.  Your speech and articulation of words are improved, caused by the weakness in the tongue. If you have Dysphagia (trouble swallowing), your ability to develop a stronger tongue able to move more easily and then swallowing becomes easier. Finally, another plus is the jawline. Tongue exercises include the muscles groups below the chin and toning of the jawline begins.

So once again, dear reader, consider sticking out your tongue and making it work like it has never worked before. Get that tongue at attention! Get that tongue out there into the real world! Make that tongue healthier, happier, and improve your life!

The post The Case for Tongue Exercises – REALLY? first appeared on Sleep & TMJ Therapy.

TMJ and sleep disorders are very common but not really understood.  This can explain why myths or misconceptions are out there.  The other side of this coin is this is also commonly misdiagnosed because symptoms vary from person to person and are similar to other problems.  One example of similarities is with Lyme Disease.  This is caused by a tick bite and the symptoms could be chronic headaches or migraines, jaw pain and tingling in the hand or fingers, notable symptoms of TMJ disorder. The big difference is Lyme disease does not have the clicking and popping or vertigo symptoms of TMJ disorder.  There are other examples as well; migraines, Trigeminal Neuralgia (short, sharp pain from touching of the jaw joint), or even a Ganglion Cyst (on the TM joint causing swelling and jaw pain).

Just remember all of us get sore muscles from time to time. The big difference is when the muscles in your jaw joints get sore and the soreness does not go away.  This is when you should ask your dentist for a referral. Otherwise, you could be prolonging the unnecessary pain or soreness and allowing the disc to possibly become further damaged.  TMJ disorder does affect other parts of your body. The myth of no popping or clicking means no TMJ disorder is not true.  These displaced discs can cause other symptoms of neck pain, backache, loss of balance, or hearing loss without the clicking or popping.

Another common myth is that TMJ disorder is harmless and that living with it will not cause problems.  It is true this condition is non-life-threatening but at the same time, it should be addressed.  Some possible development would be bruxism.  This process causes grinding of your teeth and clenching, wearing down your tooth’s enamel, and can cause sleep issues.  If the tooth enamel is worn down, then the potential of decay or tooth loss becomes greater.

For the sleep side of things, sleep can be interrupted by the clenching and grinding of your teeth.  Interrupted sleep or waking up unrefreshed is a symptom of both TMJ disorder and sleep apnea. It is not considered just a sleep issue.  The myth of sleep issues coming with age is not exactly true.  The aging process does decrease the tone in muscles and the airway muscles are not immune to this. The muscles in the airway no longer hold the jaw in the correct place and in turn, the airway becomes restricted. Your body is now fighting harder to breathe.  The use of a CPAP as the only treatment for sleep apnea is another myth.  The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has determined that an oral sleep appliance is very effective for mild to moderate apnea index.  This index tells us how many times your sleep is interrupted within a night.  The Epworth scale (tiredness level) in conjunction with the apnea index can determine if the oral appliance will be effective.

An interesting myth, sleeping on your side cures sleep apnea, actually helps with sleep apnea but does not cure it. By sleeping on your side, the tongue is not relaxed enough to obstruct the airway by falling back into the throat creating a blockage.  The tongue is off to the side allowing air to pass through the airway.  This is noted with mild cases of sleep apnea.  The side sleeping is most definitely not a cure but is recommended a lot for “positional apnea”.

There are so many more myths out there for both TMJ and sleep disorders.  Always consult with your dentist or physician when it comes to these issues.  You do want to address these symptoms because both these conditions will affect your brain and in turn affect cognitive functions, generating higher stress, and possible memory loss.

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