Sleep Apnea is a potentially serious disorder, which occurs when a person’s breathing is repeatedly interrupted throughout the night. The most common sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea, which happens whitney the throat muscles relax and block the airway. This is a serious condition because it can lead to increase blood pressure, stroke or heart disease. Our dentists at Aesthetic Dental in North Bergen have expertise in diagnosing sleep apnea and finding solutions. So what are some of the signs of sleep apnea?

1. Loud Snoring: Not all snoring means you have sleep apnea, however it may be one sign you have interrupted sleep.
2. Pauses in Breathing During Sleep: If you stop breathing while you sleep it can lead to serious heart problems. At times you may wake up gasping for air or not able to stay asleep. Someone else may notice this symptom and could document if it is happening.

3. Restless Sleep: At times some may be unaware of their sleep. They can actually move around waking up several times during the night. They may wake up tired or irritable.
4. Sore Throat Upon Wakening: If you have sleep apnea you may wake up with a dry throat. You may also experience headaches due to the lack of oxygen in the body which widens the blood vessels and causes headaches.
5. Daytime Sleepiness: Having low energy or nodding off through the day is a common symptom.
6. Cognitive impairment: At times with lack of sleep, a person with sleep apnea can become irritable, forgetful and have difficulty concentrating.
7. Excessive weight: Those with excessive weight tend to have higher chances of having sleep apnea. Visiting a doctor regularly, eating nutritious meals and exercising to keep weight under control is important.
8. Enlarged tonsils or adenoids: Removal of tonsils and adenoids may help with sleep apnea or eliminate the problem entirely.
9. Excessive Overbite: Typically a person with sleep apnea will have mouth breathing because they are unable to get enough oxygen. The lack of oxygen causes the lower jaw to sit back more creating an overbite. Narrowness of the palate leads to decrease in ability to breathe properly when sleeping.
10. Deviated Nasal Septum: A deviated septum may prevent proper amount of oxygen into the body causing sleep apnea.

If you have some of these conditions, please reach out to Aesthetic Dental so we may do a proper diagnosis. Children and adults should be properly evaluated for these conditions to prevent long term health problems. The Aesthetic Dental team in North Bergen work along other sleep specialists to provide top sleep apnea care to patients.