Spokane Sleep Apnea Dentistry

04/22/2020

This could save lives: Covid pneumonia is often "silent" (no shortness of breath) until hypoxia becomes very severe and patients show up already in critical condition. Some physicians suggest using finger pulse oximeter for routine checks at home (or in doctor's offices) in patients who feel ill.

This is what I learned during 10 days of treating Covid pneumonia at Bellevue Hospital.

03/26/2020

How to Optimize Your Sleep (and Your Immune Response) During the Coronavirus Outbreak

Sleep has never been more important. Here are our most concrete recommendations for getting some.

12/31/2019

Make a practical New Year's Resolution: Better Sleep, Better Daytime Performance, Better Health!
Happy 2020 from Spokane Sleep Apnea Dentistry!

07/06/2019

CPAP OR ORAL APPLIANCE THERAPY?
Spokane Sleep Apnea Dentistry provides expert dental appliance therapy, combination and adjunctive treatments for sleep apnea and snoring.

ORAL APPLIANCE THERAPY is
Covered by Medical Insurance, just like CPAP * Clinically Proven * Inconspicuous * Comfortable * Quiet * Low Maintenance * Easy to Travel With

To learn more about testing and treatment options, visit us at www.SpokaneSleepApneaDentistry.com or call (509) 290-6044 for a free consultation.

05/30/2019

In teenagers, sleep problems could be reversed in one week by limiting screen use in the evening.

It is known that blue spectrum light, such as that emitted by cell phones, tablets and computer monitors, inhibits brain secretion of melatonin, resulting in alterations to the body’s internal clock, delayed sleep onset and disruptions in sleep quality. This, in turn, can not only lead to daytime fatigue and poor concentration, but can also increase the risk of more serious long-term health issues such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

A new study shows that by simply limiting their exposure to blue-light emitting devices in the evening, adolescents can improve their sleep quality and reduce symptoms of fatigue, lack of concentration, and bad mood, after just one week.

See

Sleep in teenagers can be improved by just one week of limiting their evening exposure to light-emitting screens on phones, tablets, and computers, according to findings presented at the European Society of Endocrinology annual meeting, ECE 2019.

02/26/2019

An excellent overview of this very common but frequently missed condition. Chronic tiredness and foggy mental faculties do not have to be a way of life!

Guide to Sleep Apnea
The New York Times, February 2019

Snoring at night, tired all day? These are just a few common symptoms of sleep apnea, and here's a guide for what you can do if you think you (or sleep next to someone who may) have the condition.

01/30/2019

01/27/2019

One in five women suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (a sleep breathing condition strongly linked to heart disease, depression, weight gain, diabetes, and stroke, as well as car crashes) — yet about 90 percent of those who have it have not been diagnosed. Snoring, night-time awakenings and daytime fatigue are among the most common symptoms, but other signs that are often missed include problems with memory or concentration, irritability, daytime sleepiness, choking or gasping during sleep and nighttime heartburn.
Obtaining a sleep study (at home or in the lab) is the only way to find out whether one has this potentially fatal condition. If confirmed, both CPAP and dental appliance therapy are covered by medical insurance and most patients can find an effective treatment they can tolerate.
To find out more, see http://www.providencejournal.com/news/20180308/fresh-awakening-women-too-suffer-sleep-apnea

11/01/2018

SLEEP APNEA ACCELERATES COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT, ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE BY UP TO 13 YEARS
A 2011 study published in JAMA showed that women with moderate to severe sleep apnea were almost twice as likely to develop mild cognitive impairment or dementia (OR 1.85). Patients with untreated sleep apnea showed mild cognitive impairment about 13 years earlier and Alzheimer’s disease 5 years earlier than patients with no sleep-disordered breathing, according to a 2015 Neurology study. However, sleep apnea treatment delayed the age of cognitive impairment onset by approximately 10 years.
For more information see our newsletter Sleep, Brain, Heart Smart or visit us at www.SpokaneSleepApneaDentistry.com

Sources:
Sleep-disordered breathing, hypoxia, and risk of mild cognitive impairment and dementia in older women
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Yaffe+2011+JAMA+apnea+dementia
Sleep-disordered breathing advances cognitive decline in the elderly
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4433459/

11/01/2018

UNTREATED SLEEP APNEA ONE OF THE GREATEST RISKS FOR HEART ATTACK AND STROKE

A “tsunami of data” over the past several years confirms that untreated sleep apnea is a major cause of heart attacks, stroke and sudden death. “Untreated sleep apnea doubles the risk of stroke and the risk of sudden death from heart attacks, and increases the risk for death from cardiovascular issues by 500%”, according to research presented at a 2016 symposium on Innovations in Technology, Treatment & Prevention of Cardiac Arrhythmias. The more severe the sleep apnea, the more heart disease is typically present (see Sleep Review article below).

Sleep apnea therapies such as CPAP or dental appliances designed to stabilize the airway have been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular complications and mortality, as long as they are worn for over 5.6 hrs per night.

Because 4 out of 5 patients with sleep apnea remain undiagnosed, it is important to pay attention to symptoms such as snoring, breathing pauses, gasping/ choking noises while sleeping, multiple awakenings, daytime sleepiness, irritability / depression or memory problems, and mention them to your doctor.

For more information about sleep testing and treatment options, visit http://www.SpokaneSleepApneaDentistry.com or call (509) 290-6044 for a free consultation.

http://www.sleepreviewmag.com/2016/04/how-sleep-apnea-causes-heart-attacks-and-how-israeli-tech-helps/

10/12/2018

UNABLE TO TOLERATE A CPAP MACHINE? DO YOU KNOW YOUR SLEEP APNEA TREATMENT OPTIONS?

Spokane Sleep Apnea Dentistry provides expert dental appliance therapy, combination and adjunctive treatments for sleep apnea and snoring (the medically-covered alternative for CPAP-intolerant patients). We work closely with local sleep physicians, cardiologists, primary care providers and other medical specialists to deliver prompt, affordable sleep apnea treatments, titration sleep studies and follow-up to the highest standards established by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

To learn more about testing and treatment options, visit us at www.SpokaneSleepApneaDentistry.com or call (509) 290-6044 for a free consultation.

10/10/2018

SLEEP TIPS: IS THERE A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SNORING AND JOB PERFORMANCE?
Frequent snoring is the most common sign of obstructive sleep apnea – yet 4 out of 5 patients remain undiagnosed. A recent study from the Harvard School of Medicine shows that patients with untreated sleep apnea are 6 times more likely to demonstrate lower productivity than their colleagues and 4 times more likely to follow a negative or stagnant career path. Untreated sleep apnea often leads to excessive daytime sleepiness, more sick days, increased irritability and depression, impaired memory and concentration, poor judgment and more job accidents.
To learn more about testing and treatment options, call us at (509) 290-6044 for a free consultation.