Sleep Apnea

Serving Rochester, Rochester Hills, Oakland Township and surrounding areas of Michigan

Sleep apnea obstructs your sleep cycles by causing pauses in your breathing. Each time your breathing gets interrupted, your body is forced out of deep sleep and into a lighter sleep cycle in order to breathe. This can happen hundreds of times a night without you even realizing it is occurring.

Sleep Apnea Questionnaire new-patient-sleep-apnea.pdf

There are two types of sleep apnea – Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and Central Sleep Apnea. OSA, the most common form of sleep apnea, results from a blockage in your air passage. This blockage is caused by a collapse in the soft tissue at the back of your throat and tongue.

Your brain and heart don’t receive enough oxygen as a result of OSA. This generally leads to increased blood pressure and heart rate, and can put you at greater risk of heart attack and stroke.

In Central Sleep Apnea, your brain and central nervous system don’t function properly. They fail to tell your body to breathe. No blockage of airways exists in Central Sleep Apnea. It is more of a respiratory malfunction. People suffering from Central Sleep Apnea can experience stoppages in breathing of up to 2 minutes, which can severely impact the amount of oxygen going to your brain and heart.

Sleep apnea can lead to the following health issues:

• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Stroke
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Obesity
• Insomnia
• Loss of short term memory
• Sexual dysfunction

Some of the symptoms of sleep apnea include:

• Weight gain
• Fatigue
• Dry mouth
• Sore throat
• Headaches
• Decreased sex drive
• Snoring
• Trouble breathing through your nose