Snoring and Sleep Apnea

Does your bed partner regularly complain that your snoring ruins an otherwise good night's sleep? If so, you may be suffering from a serious condition called sleep apnea. Sleep apnea results in brief stoppages in breathing during the night. In order to resume breathing, your brain must rouse you from sleep. This can occur hundreds of times a night without you even realizing.

Some of the most common symptoms of sleep apnea include:

  • Chronic snoring
  • Periods of breath cessation followed by chocking or gasping for air
  • Waking with a dry mouth or sore throat
  • Frequent morning headaches

If you have suffered from sleep apnea for some period of time, you may also notice symptoms including:

  • Excessive daytime sleepiness
  • Memory, concentration, or learning difficulties
  • Irritability
  • Mood swings

Fortunately, sleep apnea can be easily treated at our Media, Pennsylvania office. If you suffer from one or more of these symptoms, please call 610-566-0291 today to schedule a sleep apnea consultation with Dr. Hillyard or Dr. Monroe.

Types of Sleep Apnea

There are two primary types of sleep apnea:

  1. Central sleep apnea (CSA) – in which signals from your brain fail to reach your breathing muscles
  2. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) – in which the muscles of the soft palate and tongue collapse during sleep, blocking airflow and resulting in breathing disruptions

OSA is much more common and there are several effective treatment methods available to you. We can work with your doctor to find the least invasive and most effective OSA treatment for you.

Treating Sleep Apnea

Treating sleep apnea requires keeping your airways open while you are sleeping. This can often be accomplished with a simple snore guard. Your snore guard will be custom-created to fit comfortably into your mouth and will work to gently hold your jaw in its optimal position while preventing your tongue from blocking your airway. This noninvasive method has proven to be very successful in reducing the symptoms of sleep apnea and restoring a good night's sleep.

Dr. Hillyard and Dr. Monroe may also recommend simple lifestyle changes in conjunction with your snore guard. These may include losing weight, quitting smoking, avoiding alcohol and sedatives before bed, and changing your sleeping position. All of these things will be discussed with you in more detail during your sleep apnea treatment consultation.

To learn more about your sleep apnea treatment options, please contact us today to schedule your initial appointment.