You are not alone! Recent research suggests that as many as 40%-50% of patients don’t use their prescribed CPAP machines. For those that do use it, it is a wonderful treatment often changing their lives by helping them sleep well.

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 .

retrieved April 9, 2010 from: Science News Daily

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

You Snore. Your Bed Partner says you keep him/her up all night. How bad do you really snore?
Take this snore score test from the AWAKE group and see how you rate with other snorers.
Test and Information found below from http://www.sleepapnea.org/resources/pubs/snorescore.html.

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!

One of our patients stopped in with a copy of this article for me, while I also received numerous emails from patients, friends and family.

Here’s the first paragraph:
By KRIS MAHER for the Wall Street Journal

For the 18 million people with obstructive sleep apnea, the remedy is far from perfect: bulky and expensive masks that some compare to sleeping in scuba gear.

As the number of people with sleep apnea is expected to rise, doctors and medical device makers are trying new treatments. New masks, while still bulky, aim to be more comfortable. Dentists have begun prescribing an appliance that draws the lower jaw forward to create more space in the airway. ( for the rest of this very informative article, please follow this link: The New Face of Sleep )

For all of you that can not tolerate your CPAP, you are not alone!
You have an alternative, Oral Appliance Therapy. I have been successfully helping sleep apnea and snoring sufferers for over 6 years. Oral Appliances are:
~comfortable
~convenient
~affordable
~FDA-approved
~physician recommended
~physician used
~EFFECTIVE

Call my office today to schedule a consultation today, and get the sleep you need!
1-800-SNORING
630-369-5508

Dr. Lydia Sosenko, for Dental Sleep Medicine of Illinois
Treating sleep apnea and snorning patients throughout the Chicagoland area, including Naperville, Wheaton, Glen Ellyn, Downers Grove, Batavia and Plainfield.

In fact, it’s so dangerous, the American Sleep Assocation is Hosting a conference just to address Trucking and Sleep Issues. May 11-12 in Baltimore Maryland. Visit their site at this link The American Sleep Association Sleep Apnea and Trucking Converence

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!

Our Naperville office manager, Cathy Iversen, hears this question multiple times every day. 

What’s the answer?  Yes, your medical insurance does cover Oral Appliance Therapy, with the exception of Medicare and Medicaid.

In the next few days, we’ll add a video with our office manger explaining exactly how she works with patients to ensure they receive their maximum insurance reimbursement! 

Check back, make our site one of your favorites, and keep up to date on Dr. Sosenko’s latest updates.  We’d like to help you sleep through the night, CPAP-Free!

Remember, our Naperville office is conviently located just 3 miles from I-88, 5 minutes from downtown Naperville, and 5 minutes from I-355.  Dr. Sosenko treats patients from as far North as Libertyville, Barrington and Winnetka, West through Dekalb, Sugar Grove, Batavia and South through Mokena, Palos Hills and Orland Park.

Make an appointment for a consultation.  You’ll see why patients come from all over  for Dr. Sosenko and her sleep director, Maryellen Hughes.  1-800-SNORING.