The average adult should have at least seven hours of sleep per night according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Deficits in the length and quality of sleep can have effects on your overall health and wellness. Dr. Christina McAlpin helps patients who struggle with sleep apnea, a common sleep disorder that affects 39 million American adults, at her otolaryngology practice in Los Angeles, CA.
Understanding Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea could be unknowingly taking away your ability to have a good, restful sleep each night. At intervals, while sleeping, the breathing passages become blocked by tissue in the back of the throat. When a sleep apnea patient can’t breathe, it causes the body to momentarily wake up from sleeping. This happens several times during the night, which disrupts the patient’s sleeping pattern. In many cases, patients don’t even realize that this is happening.
Risks of Untreated Sleep Apnea
When sleep apnea goes untreated, it can begin to affect other areas of your health, your lifestyle, your relationships, and your work performance. A consistent lack of proper sleep can affect your mood, memory, concentration, and energy levels. You may feel tired throughout the day and even be slightly impaired or feel like you want to doze off in situations that demand your full attention, like driving. Untreated sleep apnea could also lead to headaches, higher blood pressure, heart disease, and reduced libido in some patients.
Sleep Apnea Treatment Options
Patients who struggle with sleep apnea can be treated successfully with non-invasive therapies and devices. After the initial diagnosis, your Los Angeles, CA, doctor can offer you a number of solutions to treat sleep apnea including:
- CPAP (Continuous positive airway pressure) devices that you wear at night to aid breathing and keep the airways open.
- An oral appliance that you wear at night to reposition the jaw and keep it and the tongue from sliding backward.
- Orofacial therapy can help strengthen joints and muscles in the face, mouth, and jaw using special exercises.
- A surgical procedure to remove excess tissue that may be causing blockages.
Get Better Sleep With Help From an ENT
The time you spend sleeping is precious, valuable, and important to your overall health. Improve the quality of the rest you are getting each night by seeking help from Dr. Christina McAlpin at her office in Los Angeles, CA. Call (213) 745-4060 today to schedule a sleep apnea consultation.