West:
West:
When you have a bad night’s sleep, it causes a lot of problems … not only are you more tired than normal (and possibly crankier), but lack of good sleep can take a toll on more than your energy level. Now, imagine being woken up repeatedly each night for weeks, months or maybe years because you momentarily stop breathing!! If you’re suffering from sleep apnea, that’s what’s happening! Today, we want to talk about what this means to your body and overall health, not to mention … how sleep apnea effects your immune system. So, the big question is: Is Sleep Apnea Putting Your Immune System at Risk?
Sleep apnea is a condition that causes your breathing to pause repeated while you’re sleeping. Your body’s natural reaction is to wake you up, so your breathing resumes. Not only do these repeated sleep interruptions leave you feeling sleepy the next day, if left untreated, it can contribute to heart disease, diabetes and other long-term health risks.
Sleep apnea happens when your airway becomes blocked or collapses during while you sleep. Each time your breathing restarts, you may snore loudly waking yourself and/or your sleeping partner. Many health issues, like high blood pressure and obesity, are linked to sleep apnea.
Respiratory System: You may find yourself short of breath. Sleep apnea can worsen asthma symptoms and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) by depriving your body of oxygen while you sleep.
Digestive System: You’re more likely to have fatty liver disease, higher than normal levels of liver enzymes and liver scarring.
Coronary and Cardiovascular System: Linked to high blood pressure and obesity, sleep apnea can increase the strain on your heart. You’re also more likely to have an abnormal heart rhythm such as atrial fibrillation that could increase your risk of stroke. Also common with sleep apnea is heart failure.
Nervous System: Neurological symptoms, like numbness and tingling can be caused; Central Sleep Apnea is caused by a disruption in the brain’s signals that enable you to breath.
Endocrine System: People with sleep apnea are more likely to develop insulin resistance (when your cells don’t respond as well to the hormone insulin). You can develop type 2 diabetes when your cells don’t take in insulin like they should because your blood sugar will rise.
Reproductive System: Your desire to have sex may decline. Sleep apnea could contribute to erectile dysfunction in men and affect your ability to have children.
At Adams Dental, we want to give our patients the best care and conduct testing for obstructive sleep apnea by using an at-home sleep testing device called a MediByte.
Learn about Adam’s Dental Sleep Apnea Testing and Treatment Options here.
The MediByte will record your levels of snoring and sleep apnea. Home sleep testing is a recognized procedure for the diagnosis and/or monitoring of sleep disordered breathing. Devices, such as the MediByte offered by Dr. Roberts at Adams Dental Group, help detect Obstructive Sleep Apnea in most people. If you meet the following criteria, you can take a home sleep test.
Read More on Treatment and Diagnosis of Sleep Apnea from Mayo Clinic.
Many sleep tests are also conducted in a laboratory. If you think you or a loved one may be experiencing symptoms of sleep apnea, it’s important to talk with your doctor about testing and treatment options.
Is Sleep Apnea Putting Your Immune System at Risk? To find out if you have Sleep Apnea or are putting your overall health at risk, due to interrupted sleep and snoring, please contact Adams Dental in Kansas City, KS to schedule your consultation.
Local dentist, Travis A. Roberts and his experienced, friendly team at Adams Dental Group offer affordable family dentistry and gentle dental care in the Kansas City, KS area. We are conveniently located a few minutes East of The Legends Outlets and offer appointment times Monday through Friday to meet your needs. At Adams Dental Group, we provide most dental services, from family and general dentistry to specialty procedures, including dental implants, dentures, root canal treatment, teeth whitening, cosmetic dentistry, SureSmile invisible aligners, treatment options for sleep apnea and much more. We accept most dental insurance plans and offer affordable financial solutions for any budget. Call us at (913) 296-8030 to schedule an appointment.
Dr. Travis A. Roberts, DDS February 18th, 2020
Posted In: Sleep Apnea
