SLEEP ASSESSMENTA good night’s sleep is important to not only your everyday life, but to your overall health as well. Sleeping affects how you feel, look, and perform throughout the day, and lack of sleep increases your risk of serious health concerns like heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Obstructive Sleep Apnea (also known as OSA) disrupts your sleep habits so severely that these risks increase exponentially. But, what exactly is OSA?
Obstructive Sleep Apnea is a chronic condition that affects nearly 30 million American adults, occurring during sleep when the muscles in the nose and throat relax. In individuals with OSA, when these muscles relax, soft tissue collapses and blocks the airway. This cuts off the body’s only supply of oxygen and causes a pause in breathing.
If you stop breathing, your body’s natural reaction is to start again, by any means necessary. This reaction can result in gasping, choking, and snoring, which disrupts your sleep by causing you to briefly wake up in order to breathe again. When this happens, it can cause daytime sleepiness, exhaustion, and chronic fatigue.
There are several ways to treat OSA, and at Sleep Better Austin, we are dedicated to helping you find the solution that best fits you. Through Oral Appliance Therapy, Dr. Sleep Better Austin, our sleep specialists, can help you overcome your OSA to enjoy a full night of restful sleep.
If you suffer from general sleepiness, headaches, daytime fatigue, and constant nighttime wakeups, you may have OSA. For information, appointments, or consultations regarding OSA, please contact Sleep Better Austin at 512-215-4350 for diagnosis and treatment options. We are conveniently located in Austin, Texas, and would love to speak with you regarding any questions or concerns you may have about OSA.