The importance of sleep in physical health has been a fundamental principal of common medical knowledge for centuries. Sleep allows our bodies to relax, rejuvenate, and dream, thus permitting the mind to work in a more efficient way. While we sleep our bodies undergo a very important restoration of critical systems of our body. As we sleep our bodies burn calories, create vital hormones, as well as a vast array of chemical processes that keep our bodies balanced. When there is a lack of this important process of SLEEP, we frequently see a decline in one’s wellness.
The compromise of not having a healthy sleep seems to frequently be the norm in today’s busy society. This lack of health sleep is an extremely large percentage of the population is causing widespread concern in the medical community. Sleep frequently is the topic of conversations with our health care professionals. We even read articles on sleep in popular magazines such as Time, Newsweek, and US News and report. Recently was a special report on sleep presented on CNN narrated by Dr. Sanjay Gupta. We realize as a medical community the consequences of lack of sleep such as weight gain, headaches, inability to concentrate, hormonal imbalances and even depression are found to be frequently linked to a lack of sleep.
There frequently is a serious physiological cause of lack of sleep that exists called airway obstruction. An airway obstruction at night results in what health care practitioners call Sleep Disordered Breathing. Everyone is at risk, and snoring is an alert call which may signal a greater problem. A severe airway condition called Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), is a commonly undiagnosed disorder, and in many cases may be fatal when not treated.
Around the world dentists are quickly becoming the first line of defense in raising awareness of Sleep Apnea. Dentists can frequently offer treatment options, such as Oral Appliance Therapy (OAT) to treat snoring and sleep apnea, which can actually save lives! Many dentists have become experts in these areas and continue to strive to improve the quality of life for many patients. Dental professionals are learning to identify everyday signs and symptoms of Sleep Apnea. Using specialized equipment to assist in the diagnostic process dentists are able to put the patient through proven evidence based protocols to help the patient with their sleep issues.
If you are one of the many Americans who desperately need better sleep wellness, or even believe you may have Sleep Disordered Breathing issues, ask your dentist if they screen and treat sleep apnea. It may be one of the most important questions you ever ask your dentist!