Royal Oak and Birmingham, MI
The hectic nature of daily life today means that sleep deprivation is becoming increasingly widespread. Scientific studies have shown a link between not getting enough rest or being sleep deprived, and having an increased risk factor of developing serious ailments such as heart disease or diabetes.
Did you know that lack of sleep also might affect your immune system? A recent study found that, when a person does not get the recommended amount of sleep, it triggered an inflammatory response in the immune system. These rises in inflammation can be harmful, especially when chronic. Inflammation also can trigger heart disease.
Another study of the immune system compared two groups of healthy people—one that slept poorly for a week, and one that slept well—and found the group that slept poorly had more immune system activity. This activity triggered more incidents of allergies and asthma.
Good sleep allows the body and mind to restore. This also applies to the metabolic and immune systems. The longer a person is denied proper rest, the higher the risk of developing a chronic disease.
One potential disruption to the sleep cycle and proper rest is a sleep breathing disorder, such as obstructive sleep apnea, which occurs when the muscles in the throat relax, causing soft tissue to collapse and block the airway. These obstructions cut off the air supply to the body, disrupting the natural cycle of sleep. A total blockage of the airway can rouse you from sleep because your body and brain react as if you are choking. Severe cases of sleep apnea see these blockages occur hundreds of times per night. These breathing episodes are what causes snoring.
At Hartrick Dentistry, we have the training and experience to diagnose cases of sleep apnea, and also treat the disorder through the use of oral appliance therapy, which repositions the jaw in an ideal forward alignment to help maintain an open airway during sleep.
Have you been diagnosed with sleep apnea, and find yourself hesitant to undergo therapy such as the use of a CPAP machine? Do you or a member of your family snore loudly or suffer from excessive fatigue throughout the day? If the answer to either question is yes, then call our office at (248) 549-0950 to schedule a consultation.
Hartrick Dentistry is proud to serve the oral health needs of patients in the areas of Royal Oak and Birmingham, Michigan.