Summer heat, fresh air and outdoor activities can help many people achieve a good night’s rest, but if your summer days are more lazy than fun, you could be suffering from a sleep disorder. While we may want to attribute fatigue to summer’s carefree abandonment of a strict schedule, a sleep disorder, caused by disrupted breathing and snoring, leads to daytime drowsiness, difficulty concentrating, memory and mood problems.

Summer brings weekend picnics, vacation, and outdoor sports that can leave one feeling exhilarated and exhausted. Many of us dream of long weekends resting on a porch and returning from vacation refreshed. However, if your week end gardening or a trip to the lake is plagued by feeling tired, cranky and frustrated, you could be ignoring a vital sign that your health is at risk. Sleep disorders, once diagnosed can be treated.

Typical symptoms of a sleep disorder including sleep apnea can include-

• daytime sleepiness
• snoring
• difficulty concentrating
• memory problems
• depression
• feeling as if you are in a fog

After a physician referral, patients undergo a sleep study that analyzes the length and type of sleep you are getting as well as how many times you experience waking, or, alerting during the night. If you are diagnosed with a sleeping disorder, there are treatments available that can increase your quantity of sleep and quality of life.

Previously, a CPAP machine (continuous positive airway pressure) was the only medical treatment. Now, less cumbersome and intrusive methods are available such as a dental sleep appliance. The custom-made device, much like a mouth guard, subtly alters the alignment of the jaw which positively impacts alignment for breathing properly at rest. She advises that if you are getting a full night’s sleep, and continue to wake un-refreshed and fatigued throughout the day, you may be suffering from a sleep disorder.

So if your weekend trips to the garden center or the chores of lawn work leave you feeling more dogged than refreshed, find out if a sleep disorder could be keeping from enjoying the fruits of your labor.

Without treatment, middle-aged men are much more likely to suffer fatal consequences from OSA (obstructive sleep apnea).  In OSA, a person’s airway collapses causing the individual to struggle to breathe while asleep. This study highlights that men with OSA have a 58% higher risk of developing heart failure.  Men with the most severe OSA had a 68% higher risk for developing heart disease than those who do not have OSA.

Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea is described as 30 or more breathing interruptions.  These interruptions cause oxygen depletion and can last at least 10 seconds.  Accompanying burst of adrenaline from sudden wakefulness increases blood pressure, which possibly contributes to vascular problems, according to researchers.

Researchers add that most people suffering from OSA do not get diagnosed until years and up to a decade after the onset of symptoms.  Therefore, those most at risk for associated cardiovascular death are those individuals ages 30 to 50.   “The take-away from our study is that obstructive sleep apnea is a serious condition that warrants medical treatment, said Daniel J. Gottlieb, M.D., M.P.H., lead study author and associate professor at Boston University’s School of Medicine. “Many patients don’t experience symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea, such as daytime sleepiness, or if they do, don’t mention it during routine medical exams. It’s important for anyone who suspects they have obstructive sleep apnea to discuss it with their primary care physician.”     (July, 2010) Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

At Dental Sleep Medicine of Illinois, we can help you understand your risk for Obstructive Sleep Apnea, and align a treatment that best meets your needs and lifestyle.  Prevent serious health consequences and consult with us today.

ACo-authors are: Gayane Yenokyan, M.D., Ph.D.; Anne B. Newman, M.D., M.P.H.; George T. O’Connor, M.D., M.Sc.; Naresh M. Punjabi, M.D., Ph.D.; Stuart F. Quan, M.D.; Susan Redline, M.D., M.P.H.; Helaine E. Resnick, Ph.D., M.P.H.; Elisa K. Tong, M.D., M.A.; Marie Diener-West, Ph.D.; and Eyal Shahar, M.D., M.P.H. Author disclosures are on the manuscript.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute funded the study.