If we determine that you suffer from sleep apnea, you will certainly need to visit us for sleep apnea treatment to protect your health and improve nightly rest. However, sometimes figuring out whether you suffer from this sleep disorder and if treatment is essential to you is the confusing part. Sleep apnea is a problem that – though it may cause a lot of noise and discomfort – may slip through the cracks because you may not notice it is happening. Though we can quickly assist you in identifying whether sleep apnea is affecting you, we understand that our patients prefer to feel educated and knowledgeable about self-diagnosing as concerns arise. To learn more about whether you may require treatment, consider the following:

Do You Need Sleep Apnea Treatment?

You need treatment if you are suffering from sleep apnea. The clearest way to identify the problem is through its main episode that manifests during sleep. You will likely not remember its occurrence because you will wake up only briefly – most patients do not recall this event in the morning. However, a significant other sleeping next to you may be able to tell you that it is happening. What happens exactly? During sleep your throat muscles will relax too much – this will cause your throat tissues to collapse. Once collapsed, they will block your ability to breathe until you wake up, gasping for air.

Other Symptoms

You may not be lucky enough to have a firsthand account of your waking event, which means you may need to rely on the presence of other symptoms. We always encourage you to schedule an appointment to verify diagnosis, however, because many of the symptoms point to other potential concerns. Common side effects include:

• You will feel extremely moody throughout the day without any solid reason
• You may have trouble focusing
• You will likely feel fatigued without ever experiencing any relief
• You will assume you have slept through the night but your daily experience will prove otherwise
• When you wake up, you may experience dry mouth or a sore throat

ABOUT YOUR CONROE DENTIST:

The Dental Centre of Conroe, John M Richards DDS delivers distinctive cosmetic, restorative, and implant dentistry for residents of Conroe, Houston, The Woodlands, Willis, Huntsville, and the neighboring communities. For more information about our services, or to schedule an appointment, contact us by calling (936) 441-4600.