Roughly 22 million people in America suffer from sleep apnea. This disorder causes a person to stop breathing for periods of time during the night. Sometimes, people stop breathing for only a handful of seconds or for full minutes at a time. This can lead to serious issues such as a heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and more.
Contact Dr. Tomlinson at Athens Oral Surgery Center to find relief from your condition!
Many people believe this chronic condition cannot be fixed. However, that’s not true! There are multiple ways to help those who suffer from sleep apnea:
- Avoid Alcohol & Drugs
- Better Sleep Habits
- Jaw Surgery
- Sleep on Your Back
- Weight Loss
Effects of Sleep Apnea
While your condition may go unnoticed or undiagnosed for months or even years, certain symptoms of sleep apnea may be an indicator:
Quality of Sleep
When sleep apnea disrupts your night, you normally shift from a very deep sleep to a lighter, fitful sleep. Because of this, you may twist and turn at night, thus making your quality of sleep poor.
Tiredness or Fatigue
Due to the lack of sleep quality, during the next day’s activities you will probably be very tired and feel a lack of energy. If this continues, even though you are getting eight hours of sleep, this may indicate a disturbance in your night sleep because of apnea.
Depression Symptoms
Because of lack of sleep and fatigue, you may experience many of the same symptoms of depression (trouble focusing, fatigue, sadness, etc). However, if you talk to a doctor and he prescribes depression medicine and it doesn’t help, it may be because you don’t suffer from depression but from this chronic condition.
While these effects are serious, it is treatable. Our team encourages you to research sleep apnea and take the appropriate actions to find relief! If you think you are suffering from sleep apnea, call our office today at 706-549-5033.