Sleep is the new SEXY!
WHAT?!? I know…you may have thought I was prepping you (no pun intended) for a chat about gorgeous white, sexy smiles. But, we get enough of that — don’t we? Seriously, I have been diving deep into the topic of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and I have been getting quite the education. Until recently, I haven’t given snoring much consideration (I know — I’m embarrassed to admit it), never looked beyond the obvious in my soft tissue exams and certainly wouldn’t know how to direct a patient who suffered with the effects of undiagnosed and untreated sleep apnea…Uh, go see your primary care physician.
In fact, I never had a clue that these patients actually endure “suffering”.
For the most part, neither do they.
Sadly, though, it is a real problem affecting roughly 18 million Americans. So what’s the problem? For starters, many (myself included — not long ago), simply pass snoring off as, “a man of his age”, “a man of his weight”. While snoring may be considered a “classic” sign of sleep apnea or OSA, it is not definitive. Sleep studies are the rule in diagnosing the presence and severity of sleep apnea. However, snoring is a sign that is all too often brushed off, laughed off (in order to avoid a deeper conversation) or completely denied. Additionally, it was a commonly held belief that sleep apnea was a “male issue”. However, new studies indicate a rise in women being diagnosed. It is believed that the oversight is due to the fact that women tend to have more subtle breathing disturbances. And, it is even showing up in children.
The bigger issue…
OSA and sleep apnea are potentially life-threatening and linked with: an increase in blood pressure, increase risk of heart attack, stroke, weight gain and difficulty losing weight (as it affects the hormone leptin – which plays a key role in metabolism and appetite), memory loss, mood and behavioral changes, fatigue, impacts work performance, headaches, sexual dysfunction and decline in intimacy of partners. The decline in intimacy is due in large part to a snoring or gasping partner keeping the other awake through the night and causing a separation as bed partners. Worse yet, a couple resorts to sleeping in separate rooms — nothing sexy about that!
How it happens…
Sleep apnea occurs as a result of a blocked airway due to the pharyngeal tissue collapsing and cutting off the flow of breathing. Often, patients can have episodes where the breathing pauses from a few seconds to minutes followed by a gasping in order to “catch ones breath”. This may occur 30 times or more an hour resulting in cycles of waking up frequently — not generally waking up completely but, usually waking out of a deeper (REM) sleep. This results in a poor quality sleep. The fragmented sleep cycle and deprivation of oxygen is where the “struggle” comes in. Over a prolonged period of time, the impact of this struggling to breathe plays a major role in oxidative stress on the body as a whole — resulting in the increase in risk factors of those conditions mentioned above.
As dental care professionals, we see our patients more frequently and examine the soft tissues of their mouth before any other health care provider. I have become crystal clear about the opportunity we have in expanding our care and services to our patients in this area. And, it is so simple. We are the first defense in screening and evaluating our patients for sleep apnea — potentially saving their lives and bringing sexy back in the bedroom!
I’m on a mission to do just that for our patients. Wanna join me?
Learn more by checking out the websites below…
Organizations to Resource:
American Sleep Apnea Association
National Center on Sleep Disorders Research
Dental Education and Training:
American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine
Please share your stories along with any additional resources you use in educating your patients about sleep apnea.
Thank you for reading and contributing. Until next week…
Sweet dreams,
