Appointments

Benefits of Treating Sleep Apnea

Woman yawning at work

Benefits of Treating Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea is a serious medical condition that has many associated risks, so it’s important to understand that treatment can improve your life and your health. Patients with obstructive sleep apnea not only will suffer from excessive daytime sleepiness but also are more likely to suffer from:

  • heart problems (heart attack, congestive heart failure, and hypertension)
  • strokes
  • higher incidence of work-related and driving-related accidents.

Therefore, the benefits of treating obstructive sleep apnea are vast.

Sleep Apnea Treatment Options:

There are various treatment options available, depending on the severity of your case. Not long ago,  almost all sleep apnea cases were treated with CPAP. More currently, the mild and moderate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients are being treated with oral appliance therapy. The efficacy of each is different but in the right cases, can be quite effective.

Talking to a sleep physician or your family physician is the best place to start. From there you might be given these two options or even jaw surgery or other forms of surgery. Regardless of what you choose, treatment is very important.  If you want more information, we can discuss with you if you are a candidate for oral appliance therapy and what the prognosis might be.

Advantages of Oral Appliance Therapy

Oral appliances are comfortable and easy to wear. Most people find that it will only take a couple of weeks to become acclimated to wearing the appliance. They are also small and convenient, making them easy to carry when traveling. They don’t require electricity.  The appliances last several years.  You will be wearing something for treatment so be sure that you are comfortable with it and know the side effects of each treatment. We can discuss those with you.

Contact our office today to schedule your FREE consultation