Sleep apnea is a life-altering sleep disorder that is present when you experience pauses in your breathing as you sleep. These pauses can last between 10 seconds to a few minutes and often occur multiple times throughout the night. With this imbalance, your brain has difficulty telling your body to wake up and restart the breathing process.
Since sleep apnea is very common with children and adults, there are several types of sleep apnea you should be aware of: central sleep apnea, obstructive sleep apnea and hybrid sleep apnea. With central sleep apnea, your airway is still open, but your brain fails to send the signals to the muscles to tell you to breathe. Obstructive sleep apnea is the opposite, where your airway becomes blocked, which prevents oxygen from entering the lungs. Mixed sleep apnea is just like it sounds: a combination of central and obstructive. But the most common type is obstructive sleep apnea.
Symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea vary case by case, but some of the most common ones we see include:
- Loud and frequent snoring
- Waking up unexpectedly to catch your breath
- Daytime sleepiness
- Early morning headaches
- Memory impairment
- Difficulty getting to sleep
- Anxiety or depression
To confirm a diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea, a sleep study must first be completed. Once you have received an official diagnosis, Dr. Michael Landry can prescribe your oral appliance with a Letter of Medical Necessity from your referring physician. From there, we can provide the personalized sleep apnea treatment you need to breathe better, sleep better, and enhance your overall quality of life.
For more information about sleep apnea and to schedule an appointment with our doctor in Spring and Houston, Texas, please call Houston Sleep Apnea at 281-612-3153.