Loud snoring and sleep apnea
 Sleep
apnea is a potentially dangerous disorder in the Santa Barbara area with fairly benign symptoms
such as loud snoring at night, and morning headaches or daytime bouts of
sleepiness. The cause? Intermittent periods throughout sleep when you
actually stop breathing.
Breathing cessation, or apnea, lasts from seconds to nearly a minute. When breathing resumes, the brain senses lack of oxygen and wakes you
up. The snoring is loud, sometimes explosive. (Call us at Santa Barbara Dental Care
for complete details.)
In the morning, the build-up of carbon dioxide in the blood causes
headaches. And the lack of deep sleep can leave one drowsy and
usually grouchy, during the day.
During
sleep apnea, the upper air passages in the mouth and throat are
obstructed (no one is sure why). One form of treatment that has proven
successful is wearing an acrylic appliance during sleep to keep air
passages open. It's comfortable and easy to use.
For more information regarding sleep apnea please call Santa Barbara Dental Care at (805) 682-0282.
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