Obstructive Sleep Apnea occurs when the tongue and soft palate collapse onto the back of the throat. This blocks the upper airway, causing air flow to stop, which in turn causes the blood oxygen level to drop. When the blood oxygen levels drop low enough, the brain moves out of deep sleep and the individual partially awakens (an arousal). The airway finally reopens, usually with a loud gasp. The individual then moves back towards deep sleep until the next apnea occurs. This cycle of events may occur many times during the night, sometimes once per minute.

The combination of low oxygen levels and fragmented sleep are the major contributors to most of the ill effects that the sleep apnea patient suffers. In addition to excessive daytime sleepiness, studies show that sleep apnea patients are much more likely to suffer from heart problems (heart attack, congestive heart failure, hypertension, high blood pressure), strokes, metabolic syndrome, weight gain, diabetes, mood swings, acid reflux, and sexual dysfunction as well as having a higher incidence of work related and driving related accidents. The diagnosis of sleep apnea is graded mild, moderate, or severe.

Risk Factors Include:

• Snoring
• Weight gain
• Getting older
• Family history
• Malformation of the orofacial area (misaligned teeth, jaw, palate)
• Bruxism (teeth grinding)
• Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
• Menopause
• Progesterone/Estrogen deficiency
• Anatomy and physiology of the airway
• Small Jaw, Thick Neck (greater than 17″ males, 16″ females)

Treatment

Treatment is variable based on the severity.  In mild and moderate cases a dental device made by a trained dentist is the primary recommendation.  In severe cases a CPAP machine is still the standard of care due to the high success rate.  In some cases patients are CPAP intolerant (unable or unwilling) to use the machine.  Some recent research says at 3 years 80%+ of the patients who were given a CPAP have stopped using it.