Sleep Apnea Risks That May Surprise You
This year, our team at Alluring Smiles wants you to live your happiest, healthiest life. That means getting plenty of exercises, eating a balanced, nutritious diet, and getting enough rest.
If you have sleep apnea, you’re not only going to be deprived of needed rest, but you’re also going to be vulnerable to a host of potentially dangerous health risks.
Today, we’re filling you in on some of those surprising risks and how we can help you in our Mesa, AZ dental office!
Is Your Snoring A Bother… Or A Danger?
Anyone who lives with a loud snorer knows how bothersome and disruptive it can be. And anyone who snores knows what it feels like to be the topic of breakfast table fodder.
Snoring from time to time can be annoying, but persistent loud snoring could be a sign of danger.
That’s because sleep apnea sufferers usually begin the journey of diagnosis with their first obvious symptom, which is nightly snoring. The reason is that sleep apnea is a condition where your airways become blocked during the night.
This puts a great deal of pressure on your throat muscles, and the snoring is simply a by-product of your fight to get air as you sleep.
Sleep Apnea Risks That May Surprise You
Sleep apnea puts so much undue stress on your mind and body. You know how important it is for your body to get enough rest each night, so the impact of sleep deprivation is obvious.
What’s not so obvious is the domino effect of other problems this lack of sleep can lead to!
*Sleep Apnea Puts You At Risk For Heart Disease & Hypertension
At the core of sleep apnea, your airways become blocked over and over again while you sleep. Waking up gasping for air not only causes heart palpitations, but all that extra stress on your heart can be dangerous.
What’s happening in your body is that your heart is working overtime to pump blood through your body, blood that’s filled with oxygen you desperately need. Although it’s a futile effort, your heart is still working hard to keep you alive.
Over time, this could lead to increased risk of heart disease and high blood pressure.
*Sleep Apnea Your Nightly Rest In Other Ways, Too
Sleep apnea directly affects your sleep pattern. You’re waking up and fighting to breathe, then you’re drifting off to sleep, and a few minutes later, the pattern repeats.
But this disorder can also lead to other sleep patterns that put you at risk.
You could start sleepwalking, which is dangerous for a variety of reasons. That sleepwalking can result in midnight trips to the fridge where you eat without even knowing it. This could be way inexplicable weight gain is a sign you have sleep apnea.
*Sleep Apnea Makes You Moody & Irritable
It’s typical for a night or two of lost sleep to make you a little cranky. Over time, sleep deprivation can lead to more sustained problems with moodiness, irritability, and even depression.
Studies have shown that chronic depression can have a negative impact on your total health, so this is another way sleep apnea can put your wellbeing on the line.
*Sleep Apnea Can Lead To More Car Accidents
When you feel completely worn out, you’re more likely to become accident-prone. That means at work, at home, and even while operating a vehicle. This not only puts you at risk, but it puts everyone on the road at risk right along with you!
*Sleep Apnea Kills Your Concentration
So many of us are glued to a screen of some kind all throughout the day. We’re constantly faced with noise and visual stimulation. It’s made true concentration a thing of the past!
Sustained sleep deprivation has the same effect. You can’t hold a thought in your head or complete a sentence.
On the surface, this may not seem like a health threat. But when you think about a lapse in concentration on the job, it could lead to potentially dangerous mistakes that affect your safety and that of others.
Despite all of these dangers, Dr. Portocarrero and our team at Alluring Smiles can help you!
We will customize your own oral appliance to wear while you sleep so your airways remain open and you can get the rest your mind and body desperately need!
Call Us Soon For Treatment!
Life is tough. You have all these tasks ahead of you each and every day, and it’s a challenge to take care of all your responsibilities.
This is you on a good day. When you have so much to do while you’re suffering from debilitating sleep deprivation, even the simplest task can seem overwhelming.
What you need to face the day with energy and excitement is enough sleep! You can try to convince yourself for awhile that you can handle it, but that strategy could have dangerous implications for your health.
Call Alluring Smiles today at 480-830-6300 or fill out our online form to schedule an appointment.
