Understanding obstructive sleep apnea, a disordered breathing condition

Obstructive sleep apnea and other disordered breathing concerns can make it difficult for an individual to get a whole night’s rest. These conditions can disrupt the sleep process and keep patients from reaching the deep and restorative levels of sleep they need to function at their best the following day. Dr. Yijia Li and her team at A & S Dental Wellness Center of Leominster in Leominster, Massachusetts, understand the importance of helping these conditions to improve sleep quality. Preventing the issues from occurring will ensure quality sleep every evening! If you have been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea and have been told to utilize a cumbersome CPAP machine, now is a great time to connect with our team to learn more about alternative options such as oral appliances.

Understanding obstructive sleep apnea, or “OSA”

In obstructive sleep apnea, the upper airway becomes blocked or too narrow during sleep. In a person with OSA, regular breathing is interrupted by episodes of low oxygen levels and increased carbon dioxide in the blood due to lack of breathing. That leads to excessive daytime sleepiness and can cause other problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and decreased productivity at work or school. Though it may sound bad that you stop breathing while sleeping, most people with OSA don’t remember it happening because they are asleep.

The loss of muscle tone from being unconscious for each breath messes up your ability to control your tongue and jaw muscles which collapse together, causing blocks in the throat. The loss of muscle tone also opens up spaces around your airway, allowing your tongue to fall back and block the flow of air.

During the respiratory cycle, OSA occurs when there is a lack of muscle tone in the throat, which causes tissues in the upper airway to close too much or collapse during sleep. That results in pauses in breathing, periods where you are not breathing for more than 10 seconds at a time, or taking shallow breaths.

Are you seeking the diagnosis or treatment of obstructive sleep apnea?

If so, now is the time to connect with Dr. Yijia Li and her team at A & S Dental Wellness Center of Leominster to discuss alternative solutions to the dreaded CPAP machine for helping obstructive sleep apnea and other disordered breathing concerns. Our team is located at 285 Central Street, Ste. #210, and is open to new patients who call the office at (978) 926-9010.