Sleep Apnea

Expert Sleep Apnea Treatment in Fitchburg

What Is Sleep Apnea?

The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea. It occurs when tissues in the back of your throat temporarily block your airway while sleeping. When this happens, you’ll stop breathing for a few seconds until your brain signals your body to wake up and take in more oxygen. After the sleep apnea sufferer takes a few normal breaths, they will drift off to sleep once more – until the next episode.

Symptoms Of Sleep Apnea

You could be suffering from sleep apnea if you snore loudly, wake up still feeling tired after enough sleep, suffer from fatigue during the day, have feelings of depression, or have trouble focusing during your workday. While these symptoms don’t necessarily mean you have sleep apnea, if you suffer from them, you should schedule a consultation with us as soon as possible for a screening.

Benefits Of Sleep Apnea

Do you wake up feeling tired even after enough sleep? Are you grouchy during the workday and suffer from drowsiness and fatigue? If any of this sounds like you, you could have sleep apnea in Fitchburg. The team at Brian C. McDowell, DDS can help with these problems. Just as we have for many other happy patients, we can fit you with a simple oral device that will help you:

Get the high-quality sleep you need
Wake up feeling refreshed and well-rested
Function better during the day
Reduce or eliminate noisy, bothersome snoring
Be more focused and productive at work
Lessen symptoms of depression
Reduce your risk of serious related health problems

Get Restful Sleep & Feel Better

With our help, you could soon enjoy a better night’s rest. If you feel like you’re not sleeping like you should, we encourage you to see us soon. With over 30 years over experience, Dr. Brian McDowell has helped many Fitchburg patients get the sleep they need and deserve.

When you come in, we’ll perform an initial evaluation, then prescribe a sleep screening if necessary. If the results confirm you’re suffering from sleep apnea symptoms, we can have a custom oral appliance made for you. You’ll wear it while sleeping. It will move your lower jaw slightly forward, helping keep your airway open so that you get the amount and quality of sleep you need to function normally.

Take Steps Now to Improve Your Overall Health

Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when your airway becomes blocked while you’re sleeping. If your tongue and other soft tissues in the back of your throat collapse enough that they block your airway, then you can experience sleep apnea. When this happens, you’ll wake up momentarily, just long enough to take in a few normal breaths (sometimes with loud gasping). Then you’ll drift back to sleep again until the next episode of sleep apnea occurs.

For severe sufferers of sleep apnea, this cycle can happen dozens of times an hour or hundreds of times a night! In most cases, the sufferer isn’t even aware this is happening. Left untreated, however, obstructive sleep apnea can do more than just disrupt your sleep. This condition has also been linked to serious health problems, such as:

High blood pressure
Heart attacks
Strokes
Diabetes
Depression

Treating your apnea symptoms now will not only let you rest better, it could also help you live longer! Plus, snoring is often associated with sleep apnea, as air moving across those soft tissues creates vibrations and noise. Reducing your symptoms can also lessen snoring, which can help both you and your bed partner get a better night’s rest.

Can it cause depression?

Studies have linked sleep apnea to multiple serious health conditions, including depression. Some symptoms of depression and sleep apnea overlap, which can make it difficult in some cases to realize that apnea and depression may be related. With either condition, you may suffer from headaches, excessive fatigue, and difficulty concentrating.

Schedule A Consultation At Brian McDowell, DDS

Call our team today at 978-252-2049 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Brian McDowell to be evaluated for sleep apnea. With over 30 years of experience, our office has treated patients for sleep apnea from Fitchburg, Lunenburg, Leominster, Westminster, Gardner, and many surrounding areas.

Read our dental news to learn about the relation between obstructive sleep apnea and bruxism, how sleep apnea affects your body, and more. You may also follow us on Facebook for more dental tips!