Unfortunately, for many others using this bedside air breathing device is a nightmare. Patients often struggle with the hoses and masks, and they hate to travel with them. Many patients are simply just too claustrophobic with them in place. And untreated apnea can be life threatening especially in the earlier adult decades.

Luckily, for thousands of individuals, professional oral appliance therapy is now considered the standard of care but the American Academy of Sleep Medicine for mild to moderate OSA and for others who can not tolerate CPAP.

This well researched therapy involves the fitting of a custom made night time oral appliance. Current research has documented that the compliance is far greater with OAT than CPAP because of increased comfort, lack of sleeping constraints, no noise levels, and ease of transportability. Documented research also has shown that even 75% of successful CPAP users who tried OAT would in future take the OAT route even if they had to pay for it in its entirety. However, medical reimbursement for such therapy is quite common.

Patients seeking this type of treatment should be referred to dentist specifically trained in sleep disorders. These dentists work with your physician as part of your medical team in your diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing care. Should you find you find oral appliance therapy an effective option for you, you may not only sleep better, but you will feel better knowing that you are treating this life threatening condition.

To find out more about oral appliance therapy visit www.FreeMeFromCPAP.com .

In my practice, I have found that it’s not unreasonable to estimate 30 % of our patients, before treatment, are sleeping in separate rooms.

Lack of sleep isn’t just an inconvenience for merely a few people.
Recent polls by the National Sleep Foundation found:
• 67% of people who were married or living with someone reported their partner snored.
• People who had a partner with any type of sleep problem such as sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome and insomnia were more likely to say they had sleep-related problems themselves, including greater trouble falling asleep, more-frequent daytime sleepiness and fewer nights of satisfactory sleep.

These problems can lead to serious trouble. 13% of fatal car accidents are tied to drivers who drift off behind the wheel, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration . In the workplace, about $13 billion and 30 million workdays are lost each year because of sleep-related accidents on the job.

Does Your Snoring Make Your Bed Partner or Family Sick?
Sleep interruption caused by a spouse is “probably often the most common unresolved difficulty” in a marriage, Paul Rosenblatt, a professor at the University of Minnesota and author of the book, Two in a Bed: The Social System of Couple Bed Sharing. Snoring is not only affecting your sleep, but your bed partner and possibly you entire household, too. In fact, every time your wife/husband has to wake you up to tell you to roll over and stop snoring, you’re interrupting their sleep. The consequences of sleep deprivation often lead to serious health problems, including hypertension, stroke, diabetes, an increased risk for heart attacks and heart disease, depression and weight gain.

It’s rewarding for us not only to help the individual seeking help to get a better night sleep, but to be able tio bring couples back together in the same room peacefully. Sometimes patients are so quiet after treatment, that there spouses have actually awoken them up to make sure they are still breathing! We especially love to hear those stories.
You can start tonight and get the sleep you need to improve the quality of your life.

Dr. Sosenko is a Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine and the founder of Dental Sleep Medicine of Illinois. She offers snoring and apnea patient’s relief through professional oral appliance device therapy. Visit www.TiredofSnoring.com or call her office, 630-369-5225, for more information.

Summary of Article: ScienceDaily (2009-01-12) — Obstructive sleep apnea decreases blood flow to the brain, elevates blood pressure within the brain and eventually harms the brain’s ability to modulate these changes and prevent damage to itself. The findings may help explain why people with sleep apnea are more likely to suffer strokes and to die in their sleep.

Why Should You Follow This Link to Read More? to read the entire article click here!

To give you one more reason to help lead a healthy life, get the sleep you need, and treat your apnea today.

For more information on a CPAP alternative treatment, visit my website, www.TiredOfSnoring.com.
I can help you get the sleep you need – CPAP-Free.

Dr. Lydia Sosenko, D.D.S, D.ABDSM for Dental Sleep Medicine of Illinois

WHAT’S YOUR SNORE SCORE?
Your answers to this quiz will help you decide whether you may suffer from sleep apnea:

Are you a loud and/or regular snorer?
 Yes  No

Have you ever been observed to gasp or stop breathing during sleep?
 Yes  No

Do you feel tired or groggy upon awakening, or do you awaken with a headache?
 Yes  No

Are you often tired or fatigued during the wake time hours?
 Yes  No

Do you fall asleep sitting, reading, watching TV or driving?
 Yes  No

Do you often have problems with memory or concentration?
 Yes  No

If you have one or more of these symptoms you are at higher risk for having obstructive sleep apnea. If you are also overweight, have a large neck, and/or have high blood pressure the risk increases even further.

If you or someone close to you answers “yes” to any of the above questions, you should discuss your symptoms with your physician or a sleep specialist. Or ask the American Sleep Apnea Association for more information on the diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea. Different treatment options exist; which is right for you depends upon the severity of your apnea and other aspects of the disorder. Talk to your doctor about choices. Untreated, obstructive sleep apnea can be extremely serious and cannot be ignored.

Dr. Lydia Sosenko, of Dental Sleep Medicine of Illinois, can help you choose Oral Appliance Therapy as a treatment option for your snoring and sleep apnea. Visit www.TiredofSnoring.com for more information or call our Naperville Sleep Office, 1-800-SNORING, to schedule your consultation and to sleep!

Facts and Numbers of Driving and Sleep Apnea

Below are the bullet points listed from the American Sleep Association’s website:

~Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and SafetyOSA afflicts at least 20 million Americans…more than asthma or diabetes, and yet more than 85% remain undiagnosed.
~People with OSA tend to have high blood pressure, heart problems, stroke, depression and sexual dysfunction with annual health care costs TWO TIMES HIGHER than those without OSA.
~People with OSA are SIX times more likely to have a crash and SEVEN TIMES more likely to have multiple accidents.
~More than 800,000 drivers were involved in OSA-related car crashes in 2000, costing more than $15.9 billion in damage claiming 1,400 lives.
~It’s estimated that if all drivers with OSA were treated, $11.1B in damages could be saved, along with 980 lives each year.
~MOST IMPORTANTLY, accident and health risks return to NORMAL when individuals are diagnosed and treated for OSA.

At Dental Sleep Medicine of Illinois, in Naperville, we strongly urge you to find out if you do have Obstructive sleep apnea. Visit your primary care physician to learn more.

Have you been diagnosed with sleep apnea and are looking for a CPAP-alternative? We can help! Dr. Lydia Sosenko, a diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine, and general dentist, offers Oral Appliance Therapy, an effective and convenient alternative to a CPAP.

Call our office today, 1-800-SNORING, in northern Illinois, or 630-369-5508.

We Love to Help Our Patients Sleep CPAP-Free!

      Not only is it disruptive to the bed partner’s sleep often causing fatigue and relationship strains for both individuals, it may be a sign of a life-threading condition called sleep apnea.  This medical condition results when the airway passage in the back of the throat collapses closing off the air supply to the body and the brain during sleep.  Often this individual stops breathing as much as 100 times per hour!  As a result of the air blocks, the person often “awakes” unknowingly sometimes resulting in daytime fatigue, depression-like symptoms, high blood pressure, headaches and sexual dysfunctions. Apnea can be life threatening especially in the earlier adult decades.

     It is important to first find whether your spouse is snoring or has apnea.  This will involve assessment by your physician often occupying the need for a sleep test confirming the diagnosis.

   If your spouse is indeed ‘only snoring’ and does not have apnea some of the common treatment recommended may include:

• Weight loss
• Positional devices to keep off your back
• Avoidance of alcohol before bedtime
• Professional oral devices by trained dentists
• ENT evaluations for various surgical procedures

    If the diagnosis includes apnea, the most common treatment option recommended is a bed-side air pressure breathing device (CPAP).  Professional oral devices made by trained dentists are also now the standard of care for mild to moderate apnea or for those who cannot tolerate the CPAP devices. Severity of one’s condition and symptoms often reflect which option is best for the individual.

       There is no doubt that treating an individual’s snoring often restores harmony in a couple’s relationship, and may even save a life!

Do you have a question you would like to ask Dr. Sosenko?  Just comment below, and watch Dr.’s blog for her response.

 Dr. Sosenko is a Diplomate of the D.ABDSM and the founder of Dental Sleep Medicine of Illinois. She offers snoring and apnea patient’s relief through professional oral device therapy. Visit www.TiredOfSnoring.com    for more information.

Many deaths among people in their 40’s and older are attributed to heart disease, when in fact, the actual cause is related to an under acknowledged epidemic of snoring and sleep apnea. 

 Sleep apnea is a potentially deadly phantom that causes the frequent stoppage of breathing during sleep.  And Snoring?  Snoring is often the precursor or the loud companion to sleep apnea. 

 Although effective medical treatment for sleep apnea is available, both through CPAP machines and Oral Appliance Therapy, this urgent information has not become routine medical practice.  Furthermore, the public does not recognize the dangers of sleep apnea and snoring. 

 Even when apnea is suspected, patients find qualified care difficult to obtain.  As a result, 95 % of the millions of people that suffer from sleep apnea remain untreated! 

The National Center for Sleep Disorders Research scientist are currently examining the relationship between heart disease and sleep apnea. Dr. James Kiley, Director, points to research data that justify a major series of studies to determine this relationship.  At this time, research suggests that apnea may be a cause of heart disease.

·       Congestive Heart Failure Affects 10% of the American Population, 2.5 million Americans

·       5% of Women and 10% of Men are estimated to suffer from Sleep Apnea

·        With obstructive sleep apnea, often marked by snoring, the right side of the heart must support the extra effort of the lungs to overcome the breath obstruction, often leading to heart damage.

·       Individuals that are heavy snorers and pause in their breathing can be at risk for heart disease.

·       Patients with obstructive apnea, when treated with CPAP, show a marked improvement of increased energy, lower fatigue, lower blood pressure, and positive outlook.

·        High blood pressure, surges of adrenaline and irregular heartbeats may be caused by central apnea.

Do you think you can be suffering from Sleep Apnea?  Don’t delay your treatment any longer.  Call Dr. Sosenko today for a Sleep Apnea and Snoring Consultation – 1-800 SNORING (In NorthernIllinois, including Naperville, Lisle, Wheaton, Glen Ellyn, Plainfield, Downers Grove, Oswego and many Western Suburbs of Chicago) or 630- 369-5508.

       Sourced from:  www.  Jerry HalberstadtHealthyResources.com