Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea can be a potentially life-threatening sleep disorder characterized by repeated pauses while breathing during sleep. These repeated pauses in breathing that last between a few seconds to minutes at the time can occur about 30 times a minute. Due to this disruption in breathing not enough oxygen enters the body and carbon dioxide rises in the blood. Our brain senses this imbalance and sends the message to awake the body and restart the breathing process. People with apnea usually only partially awake as they struggle to even do that . This struggle to breathe is accompanied by loud snoring, teeth tapping and chocking sensations. People with sleep apnea don’t usually completely awake during the sleep process and they are often unaware that they have a sleeping disorder at all. In cases of Obstructive Sleep Apnea, there is usually a problem with air flow through the nose or the mouth and the patient struggles to breathe. Usually the soft tissues at the back of the patient’s throat collapse in the airway and the tongue blocks the back of the throat not allowing oxygen to enter lungs. Sleep apnea causes the carbon dioxide levels to skyrocket in the blood, the heart has to pump harder and faster to deliver the oxygen to extremities. Over period of time, the right side of the heart wears down making the apneatics more prone to stroke, heart attacks and diabetes.

The apnea episodes also result in patients not entering REM sleep which then results in early morning headaches, sleepiness in daytime, insomnia, elevated blood pressure, anxiety, depression, acid reflux, unexplained weight gain and restlessness in children. The exhausted kids are often labeled as “restless” “unable to concentrate” in school when all along there is a structural issue that is affecting their breathing such as enlarged tonsils.

For adults apnea disrupts delicate hormonal balances and immune system. It is linked to impotence in men and estrogen/thyroid imbalances in women.

In Dr. Pavlin’s office we work hard to identify patients that may have breathing issues. The tell-tale marks of night time struggles are imprinted on soft tissues and the teeth and are one of the leading causes of fractures. Dr. Pavlin works in close collaboration with sleep disorder clinics and Ear Nose Throat (ENTs)doctors to diagnose obstructive and central sleep apnea. She offers alternative treatments to continuous positive airway pressures devices know as CPAP such as the Oral Repositioning Devices that gently tease the lower jaw forward preventing the tongue from blocking the main airway. This small device is easy to use and fits into the pocket of your jeans!