Sleep Apnea (Part 1): A Breathing Disorder that Impacts Our Health

Sleep Apnea: The Solution Starts with an Accurate Definition and Enlisting the Help of a new Frontline Responder, Your Dentist
Newport Beach wellness dentist, Dr. Dana Rockey says that labeling Sleep Apnea as a “sleep disorder” and using the semantics that typically surround this serious issue can leave patients misguided, leading them down a path that can be detrimental to their health.
Defining Sleep Apnea
“Sleep Apnea is not a sleeping disorder, it’s a breathing disorder that disrupts sleep” Rockey says. Sleep is interrupted due to lack of breathing which is a result of the body’s inability to get oxygen, he says.
Why Sleep Apnea is a Breathing Disorder
When someone who suffers from sleep apnea is sleeping, the soft tissue airway obstruction adversely affects the oxygen level in the blood. Dr. Rockey says that ideally the body should maintain a 99% oxygen saturation level but he has seen levels much lower, which is concerning. He has seen extreme oxygen saturation levels in the 80s and critical levels in the high 70s. When the brain detects low oxygen levels in the blood during sleep, the brain triggers the body to start breathing again, often times violently. The person will snort and gasp as the body works overtime to get the oxygen it desperately needs. The cycle of drifting off to sleep and the startling survival response repeats itself throughout the night which leaves a person feeling exhausted and often times with a headache when they awaken in the morning.
Over time, sleep apnea can cause serious damage the body’s organs by starving them of oxygen and subjects our brain, heart and other organs to significant strain and stress. The body of a person with sleep apnea can experience the intense physiological state of being in survival-mode as it might undergo when a person is suffocating. Many people who have sleep apnea go years being unaware that they suffer from a breathing disorder, or they are unaware of the seriousness of their condition because they are sleeping during their “events” - the period of time in which a person with sleep apnea stops breathing.
Although there are varying degrees of this disorder ranging from mild to severe, treating sleep apnea as early as possible is crucial because the consequences can become irreversible causing permanent damage and premature death.
Impact of Breathing Disorders
The quality of our sleep directly impacts our health. Going without deep, uninterrupted sleep over extended periods contributes to major health problems such as strokes, diabetes, high blood pressure and chronic acid reflux. Sleep deprivation can also lead to driving accidents and job-related injuries. Research studies have also linked sleep apnea to diabetes, obesity and heart disease.
Many of the 25 million Americans who have Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) don’t realize how serious this disorder can be, or that their dentist can help. Sleep apnea causes those who have it to stop breathing for periods (“events”) that can range from a few seconds to more than a minute.
Dentists as Frontline Responders
When it comes to breathing disorders, dentists have a unique vantage point because they are working inside a person’s mouth which impacts the health of every part of the body. Dentists are fast-becoming frontline responders to the health crisis that breathing disorders present. Because patients are likely to visit their dentist more times per year on average than they do a general physician, dentists are well poised to make a significant impact on this health issue by increasing awareness of breathing disorders among their patients.
Dr. Rockey says that the mouth is the gateway to health, or disease, and directly impacts the health quality of the brain, heart and the body’s organs that are interdependent. The quality of our sleep directly impacts our body’s ability to operate at a level that fights disease, keeps us strong, and allows us to perform at our peak-level.
The Next Step in Seeking Help
If you’re experiencing any of the symptoms of sleep apnea that are listed above, ask your dentist or your physician about screening for sleep apnea.
This is a partial article. The entire article can be found at www.danarockey.com/sleepapnea/