Submitted by Koala Center for Sleep Disorders
Lenda, a flight attendant from Bloomington, Illinois, had struggled with fatigue for years. “I was very tired during the day,” she says, “waking up early for work was a real struggle.” Like many Americans, Lenda just lived with this exhaustion for some time. The truth is that while most Americans do tend to get the right quantity of sleep, the quality of sleep is lacking. The National Sleep Foundation’s (NSF) Sleep Health Index found that nearly half of Americans said that poor sleep affected their daily lives and activities at least one day a week. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) President, Dr. Ilene Rosen, notes “Sleep is a necessity, not a luxury. You must sleep well to be well.”
This mindset is what has organizations like the NSF focusing on sleep awareness. National Sleep Awareness Week, which is an “annual public education and awareness campaign” of the NSF, runs from March 11 to 17 this year. The goal of this program is to encourage Americans to prioritize good, quality sleep. Healthy sleep not only helps us to feel more rested but also encourages physical and mental wellbeing. In addition, good sleep helps to reduce the risk of road and work-related accidents and promotes better work and school performance. Developing better sleep habits, such as going to bed earlier, reducing exposure to electronics in the hours before sleep, creating a peaceful bedroom environment, and reducing overall stress can help to promote better quality sleep.
However, for some people, these measures will not be enough. The AASM notes that millions of Americans suffer from an untreated sleep disorder that keeps them from getting the quality sleep they need. They may “spend eight hours in bed,” but they never get quality rest. Sleep disorders range from chronic insomnia to loud snoring and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
It took years of fatigue and a sleep study before Lenda received a diagnosis of Obstructive Sleep Apnea. For people with OSA, even if they go to sleep for the “right” number of hours, their bodies still might not be getting enough rest. OSA occurs when a person stops breathing during sleep due to obstruction of the airway, which takes place when the tongue and muscles relax during sleep, the lower jaw falls back toward the throat or the airway becomes blocked. People with untreated sleep apnea may stop breathing hundreds of times a night without realizing it. Sleep is generally interrupted and fitful; understandably, those suffering from OSA frequently experience insomnia, fatigue, excessive daytime sleepiness, morning headaches, and weight gain.
The good news is that with treatment, patients may see a dramatic reduction in symptoms of OSA. If you think you might be at risk, consider asking your physician for a sleep study, which will confirm whether or not you have sleep apnea. If you are diagnosed, there are a number of treatment options available, including lifestyle changes, surgery, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) and Oral Appliance Therapy.
While CPAP is the most frequently prescribed treatment for OSA, many patients find the equipment bulky and uncomfortable as well as inconvenient. For Lenda, it was impractical to carry around a CPAP as she traveled for her work as a flight attendant. That’s why she was so happy to discover Oral Appliance Therapy at the Koala Center for Sleep Disorders. The appliance works to hold the jaw in a position that allows the airway to remain as open and firm as possible during sleep, thus preventing snoring and interruptions in sleep. The appliance is similar to an athletic mouth guard but is less bulky. Oral appliance therapy restored Lenda’s oxygen to healthy levels during sleep, and eliminated the harmful effects of her obstructive sleep apnea.
For more information on Oral Appliance Therapy, contact the Koala Center for Sleep Disorders in Dunlap, IL at 309-323-8089 or PeoriaSleep.com. Dr. Rod Willey and Dr. Brock Willey provide treatment for Snoring, Sleep Apnea, and Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMD) with comfortable oral appliances.
Sources available upon request