Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep. The most common form of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea, where the soft tissues and muscles of the throat relax and block the airway.
This can lead to people not getting enough oxygen or being woken up throughout the night. There are many dangers associated with this disorder including memory loss, high blood pressure, difficulty concentrating, weight gain, depression and more.
Many people with sleep apnea go undiagnosed because the average person does not get screened for this. Dr. Vicki takes part in the screening and treatment of this disorder because she knows it can cause major health problems including diabetes, heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, irregular heart beat, and even death.
One of the primary causes for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) in adults is excess weight, something that can cause throat and tongue tissue to swell. The more relaxed the muscles are, the more likely that this tissue will block an airway.
Snoring is a symptom of sleep apnea, but this cannot be used to determine the severity of your condition. With snoring, we usually recommend a more detailed evaluation from a sleep physician, but we can provide options to eliminate or reduce snoring.
