Sleep Disorders and Sleep Therapy

Do you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep? Do you wake up several times during the night? Do you snore? Do you take OTC or prescription drugs for headaches? Do you clench or grind your teeth at night? How about during the day?

If you have answered yes to these questions, you may have a sleep disorder. Consider these facts:

• 1/4 of the U.S. population suffer from sleep disorders
• 40 million individuals are chronic sufferers
• Less than 10% have been diagnosed or treated to date
• More than 40% of adults over 40 snores (87 million Americans)

Nature would have us sleep 4370 hours out of a possible 8760. In 1970, Americans devoted 27 hours/week to leisure. Today we might devote 15 hours/week. Bottom line, all work, no play, and no sleep have made Americans very sick.

A leading cause of sleep deprivation is sleep apnea, a sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep. Each episode called an apnea, lasts long enough so that one or more breaths are missed, and such episodes occur repeatedly throughout sleep. This can either lead to wakefulness or feeling unrested and unrefreshed when the alarm clock goes off.

There are two types of sleep apnea:

• Central (neurological)
• Obstructive (blocked airway)

A dentist can only treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). The pathology of snoring is the same for OSA, but not all people who snore have sleep apnea, although it is the most noticeable symptom. The percentage that a person snores is directly related to the prevalence of coronary disease. In other words, the more one snores, the greater the risk for stroke.

Reasons for airway obstruction leading to OSA, include:

• large tonsils
• underdeveloped upper jaw
• tongue piercing
• obesity
• low palate
• restricted tongue
• craniofacial anomalies
• medications

Symptoms such as morning headaches, GERD, bruxism (grinding/clenching teeth), waking unrested, using OTC sleep aids, sore throat, and TMJ pain are all associated with sleep disorders. Besides macrotrauma (accidents), sleep disorders are the primary cause of TMD. Sleep Apnea is not just an adult issue, many children suffer and are unable to express themselves. It is critical to diagnose airway obstruction in children for many reasons, including, if they don’t sleep, they don’t secrete the growth hormone. These children are also likely to have daytime cognitive and behavioral problems, including paying attention, aggression, and hyperactivity, which can lead to problems at school. If you suspect that you have a sleep disorder, a sleep study is the tool used for a diagnosis. Once the diagnosis is confirmed—snoring, and/or mild to moderate Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Dr. Giordano can help. He will design a comfortable, removable oral appliance that will place the jaws in the best position to breath, and the most comfortable and healthy position for your Temporal Mandibular Joints (TMJ’s). These appliances are monitored by our take-home sleep study kit to ensure maximum benefit. In the past, the CPAP has been the only option given. Patient compliance for the CPAP continues to be very low, as it is loud and uncomfortable. Oral appliances are now a great choice for those who suffer from snoring and/or have mild to moderate OSA’s.