Sleep Disorders
Sleep is our body’s way to recharge itself, heal itself, rejuvenate itself. It’s an important component in our growth and development. Without it or lack of enough of it, our body’s can suffer a myriad of negative consequences.
At Facial Kinetics, we focus on the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders involving the upper airway. This is the mouth, nose and throat.
Have you been diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea? Do you snore? Have you been prescribed a CPAP at night, but you just can’t wear it? Have you stopped dreaming at night? Or do you have a sleep partner you are keeping awake or keeping you awake at night? If the answer to any of these questions is “Yes” then you may be a candidate for an oral appliance.
Snoring
Snoring is the audible sound resulting when air flows past the relaxed tissues in the throat. It can increase as we get older, gain weight, or consume too much alcohol, or take certain medications.
Snoring in children is not normal, and if your child snores, they may have Sleep Disordered Breathing.
Just because you snore, does not mean you have sleep apnea.
The full medical diagnosis is termed Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). Sufferers of OSA stop breathing when they sleep. Snoring is almost always one of the symptoms that accompanies sleep apnea. But you or someone may have been told you weren’t breathing in your sleep or do you suddenly wake up gasping for air?
Potential Additional Signs of Sleep Apnea:
- Goto the bathroom frequently at night
- Wake with a morning headache
- Have trouble concentrating
- Feel tired sleepy all day
- Fall asleep easy during the day or while driving
- Quality of sleep is poor
- Difficulty waking up in the morning
- Having Jaw/TMJ pain
Untreated/Undiagnosed sleep Apnea can result problems with blood pressure, mood, blood-sugar control, cancer, and death in extreme cases
Sleep Study
At facial Kinetics we can help determine if you have sleep apnea. The method of diagnosis is a sleep test. This can be done under supervision at an accredited sleep center or in your own home with a home sleep test.
Most sleep testing is covered under medical insurance and can be reasonably priced for those not having insurance.
CPAP
CPAP is an acronym for Continuous Positive Air Pressure. It is a machine that delivers pressured air by way of a mask. The pumped air prevents the airway from closing allowing continuous unblock airflow.
CPAP is usually the 1st treatment given after a diagnosis of sleep apnea is made. Many individuals are unable to wear a CPAP because of its discomfort, limited sleep positions, or the bulky usage of it. For those individuals, an oral appliance may be prescribed. Oral appliances are special mouthpieces that person may wear to help this.
Sleep Study
A sleep study, whose technical name is polysomnography, is a diagnostic test used to determine if a sleeping disorder is present.
Individuals if done at a sleep center are connected to devices that monitor heart, lung and brain activity, breathing patterns, limb movements, and blood oxygen levels while a person sleeps. Home sleep test don’t gather as much data and can often give a definitive diagnosis. These test can be done over one night or multiple nights.
Children
A child should not snore. 10% of children who nor or 1-4% of all children will have Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Does Your Child
- Snore
- Have night time bed wetting accidents
- Not growing at normal rate
- Have poor attention span
- Been diagnosed with ADHD
- Difficulty waking up in the morning
- Breath thru their mouth
- Stop breathing in their sleep
- Been diagnosed with large adenoid Tonsils
- Displays Behavior issues
A child experiencing one or more of these symptoms may be experiencing Sleep Apnea
Oral Appliance
An oral appliance (mouthpiece) may be prescribed to those diagnosed with mild sleep apnea or those patients who have tried a CPAP and found that they cannot wear it or use it as prescribed
An oral appliance positions the jaw forward. When the jaw is positioned forward, the tongue is also brought forward and the airway (breathing) space increases.
All oral appliances do the same thing, but their design can be very different. Come visit Facial Kinetics if your doctor has told you that an oral appliance is needed, if you and your CPAP aren’t getting along, or if you think you may have Obstructive Sleep Apnea.