If you’re one of the millions of patients who suffer from sleep apnea, or you suspect you might have the condition, it’s important to understand how certain lifestyle factors and health conditions can impact your symptoms. Sleep apnea occurs when a person’s breathing is interrupted repeatedly during sleep, often due to an obstruction in the airway. While sleep apnea treatment is possible, and undeniably effective, it’s still important to highlight some of the other relevant factors in play when it comes to sleep apnea to curb its impact as much as possible. Here’s what you need to know.
4 Factors That Can Worsen Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea doesn’t have a definitive cause – it’s normally the result of different factors, including things like, but not limited to:
Untreated Jaw Issues
The structure of your jaw and the alignment of your teeth can influence the size of your airway, and improper alignment can contribute to airway blockage that’s worse when you’re lying down. A custom oral appliance can position the jaw correctly during sleep so that the airway remains open and unobstructed.
Excess Weight
Carrying extra weight, especially around the neck, can increase the risk of airway obstruction. Fat deposits around the neck can grow in size and make the airway narrower, making it more likely to collapse during sleep. Fortunately, even a modest amount of weight loss can often improve sleep apnea symptoms in many cases!
Sleeping Position
When you sleep on your back, gravity is working against you – it can cause your tongue and throat tissues to fall backwards, leading to a blocked airway and more frequent apnea episodes, which refers to when you’re jolted awake by improper airflow. Sleeping on your side or with an elevated head can often help with this.
Smoking and Alcohol
Smoking can irritate the tissues in the airway and cause inflammation, while alcohol can relax the muscles in the throat and make them more likely to collapse. Since these kinds of stimulants can interfere with your ability to fall asleep or throw off your sleep cycle, avoiding them before bedtime can help with sleep apnea symptoms in some cases.
Professional Treatment Can Help
Even with healthy lifestyle changes, sleep apnea doesn’t normally go away on its own, and proper treatment is the only way to ensure the condition does not interfere with your lifestyle or cause health issues. Believe it or not, untreated sleep apnea can even lead to cardiovascular or respiratory issues. Professional treatment can mitigate the symptoms of the condition, mitigate the risk of complications, and ensure that you wake up feeling recharged and ready to conquer each day!
About the Practice
Our team here at Healthy Sleep Tulsa has served patients in Tulsa, Claremore, and the surrounding area for several years, offering sleep apnea treatment in the form of highly effective, custom-made oral appliances. If you have any questions about the blog or you’d like to get in touch with us to set up an appointment, contact us online or by phone today: (918) 417-1926.