Sleep apnea and heart failure: get expert advice from London SE1 dentists
06 / 01 / 2011
Sleep apnea sufferers experience disruption to their breathing when they sleep. The consequences of it can be very serious indeed, ranging from chronic fatigue during the day after an unsatisfactory sleep to a greater risk of heart failure. Your dentist is one of the medical professionals who can help you with diagnosis sleep apnea
The two varieties of sleep apnea are called central apnea and obstructive apnea. Central apnea patients usually have a serious underlying condition like heart disease or morbid obesity. Their brain fails to send the signal to breath during the night. For obstructive apnea patients the problem lies with the muscles at the rear of their mouths which tend to relax during sleep, thus restricting the flow of oxygen to the lungs. Sufferers wake frequently during the night as the brain sends an automatic signal to the body to rouse it if insufficient air is being taken in.
Having such a disrupted sleep pattern can cause greater risk of heart failure and strokes. This is because hypertension is more likely. During your check ups with your dentist, they have access to the parts of the mouth which can cause obstructive apnea and might be able to offer a diagnosis. There are certain oral devices which can be worn to relieve obstructive apnea and you can discuss the options with your London SE1 dentist.
The risk of heart failure from sleep apnea is just another reason to visit your dentist every six months so that the state of your mouth can be monitored. Keep him or her up to date with your health so that a problem like sleep apnea can be dealt with before anything serious should occur.
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