Deeper Into Sleep

Do you ever wake up with a headache, or just feel like you didn’t get any sleep? Has your spouse moved to the spare bedroom because he/she is exhausted from listening to you snore, gasp, and choke every night?

If so, you might have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which affects more than 18 million American adults. If this is the case, how can you tell if you have sleep apnea? The only real way is to participate in a sleep study. To determine if you have sleep apnea or some other sleep disorder, contact Dr. Tregaskes for more information.

The definition of an apneic event is the cessation of breathing for 10 seconds or longer. Below is how the severity of sleep apnea is diagnosed. This scale is based on how many times per hour an apneic event occurs.

• Mild apnea is scored at 5-14.
• Moderate apnea is scored at 15-29.
• Severe apnea is scored at 30 and above.

Even considering this scoring, is three or four really normal? What would you do if you had a pet sleeping with you and that pet woke you up four times per hour?

Here is a list of the most common signs and symptoms of obstructed airways in children along with risk factors to be aware of:

· Lingual tongue tie

· Speech impairment

· No spaces between primary teeth

· Retrognathic jaw (skeletal and dental)

· Lingually inclined teeth

· High palatal vault

· Reports of clenching or grinding

· Bed wetting

· Night terrors

· Restless sleep

· Snoring

· Allergies (nasal congestion)

· Mouth breathing (check pillow)

· Allergic shiner (dark circles under the eyes)

· Hyperactivity (ADD/ADHD)

· Loss of interest in learning

· Mood swings Sleep Apnea/Snoring