If You Live In Baltimore And You Have Sleep Apnea, There Is Help And Treatment

If you have paid attention to the news lately, you have heard a lot about sleep apnea and the dangers of sleep apnea.  That’s also why you are seeing so many commercials on television advertising the “stop snoring” devices because snoring is linked most definitely to sleep apnea and they know the health risk.  We are not trying to scare you here but deliver to you the facts about this serious condition.  If you don’t believe it is serious, just do some research online about sleep apnea and you will find a whole host of information on the subject.

The Baltimore area is very large and we have one of the most famous hospitals in the country.  Johns Hopkins hospital has a snoring and sleep surgery facility because they recognize the seriousness of sleep disorders and how not getting the right amount of rest can lead to serious health problems.  There not the only ones either.  There are sleep centers and hospitals springing up all over the United States because study after study is proving that there is a link between sleep and overall good health and if that sleep is disrupted, it can cause your body to not function properly.

Sleep Apnea and Diabetes

There has been a very exhaustive study done on sleep apnea and its connections to diabetes.  The findings in this study were huge and so we are going to quote some of this study for you:

Date:  June 6, 2014

Source:  American Thoracic Society (ATS)

Summary:  In the largest study to date of the relationship between sleep apnea and diabetes, a new study of more than 8,500 patients has demonstrated a link between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and the development of diabetes, confirming earlier evidence of such a relationship from smaller studies with shorter follow-up periods.

The study was on 8500 people who were suspected of having Obstructive Sleep Apnea and didn’t have diabetes.  The Study went from 1994 to 2010.  At the end of the study, 1017 of those people had developed diabetes.  Can you see how serious sleep apnea is and if left untreated, it can be deadly.

Hypertension and Sleep Apnea

There have been several studies linking sleep apnea and hypertension.  In one recent study, they discovered that half of pregnant women who have hypertension and snore unknowingly have a sleep disorder according University of Michigan Health System.  This not only puts the pregnant woman at risk but her unborn child also.  In the same study the discovered that habitual snoring among pregnant women had poor pregnancy outcomes for both the mother and the baby.  

Snoring has always been a sign and symptom of sleep apnea.  Men laugh about snoring but women are embarrassed about it.  Women are also under diagnosed for sleep apnea because they don’t talk about their snoring and many times physicians are not asking the right questions in order to get to the bottom of some of the problems these women are facing.  If you are a woman and you snore, don’t hide it from your doctor.  You need to let them know you are snoring as well as if you are having other symptoms like day time sleepiness, fatigue, mood swings or gasping and choking at night. 

Obstructive Sleep Apnea or OSA, should not be taken lightly.  The health risk are numerous.  Many people go to the doctor for high blood pressure and end up on blood pressure medicine for the rest of their life when sleep apnea is the real culprit. 

So What Are The Treatment Options For Baltimore, Maryland Residents

For many years the CPAP has been what most call the gold standard for sleep apnea treatment.  The problem has always been the compliance with treatment using the CPAP.  Most people either want wear the CPAP or can’t wear the CPAP for one reason or another.  Some want wear it because they don’t like it on their face and they have trouble with the hose.  They don’t like the noise or the condensation that builds up in the mask from time to time.  Whatever the reason, if you don’t wear it, you sleep apnea goes untreated and your risk for health problems goes up.

There is a much better solution for treatment that most people are just now becoming aware of.  It’s called “oral appliance therapy.”  Oral appliance therapy uses a custom made device called a “MAD” or mandibular advancement device.  The dentist makes impressions of your teeth and a device is custom made to fit your mouth.  Some people call these a “snoring device.”

This is not to be confused with some of the devices you see on television that cost $39.95.  These devices are custom and made and fit to your mouth.  The way they work is they can be adjusted to advance your lower jaw forward in small increments until you get it to the optimal position in your mouth and opening your airway fully while you sleep.

What’s the result?  You can now get a restful nights sleep that helps your body restore itself.  All without hoses, noise, electricity, condensation or mask.  You can get your life back again and your rest.

If you live in the Baltimore or Howard County, Maryland area and you have sleep apnea or think you might have sleep apnea, then call our office today.  Call us Now at 443-535-6989.