Can you get snoring treated and paid for with medical insurance? The quick answer – it depends.

You have options to get snoring treated and paid for

Snoring is often a sign of a more serious condition called obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).  During obstructive sleep apnea, pauses or stoppages in breathing during sleep lead to oxygen starvation to vital organs. Treatments for OSA are most often covered under medical insurance guideline for reimbursements.  Some insurances may have a “minimum” amount of severity that they will begin coverage.

We have also seen (although far less common) some medical carriers have benefit coverage for upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS) or primary snoring depending on the severity of symptoms. These symptoms may include excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). UARS and primary snoring are conditions that during a sleep evaluation patients did not “score” enough to reach the mild diagnosis range.  These patients may still in fact have apnea events (stoppages or pauses in breathing), just not enough to reach that number which classifies them as “mild” OSA.

Our practice has over 17 years of experience in workup with snoring and apnea patients.  We would be more than happy to screen your oral cavity, discuss possible treatment options and refer you to appropriate medical providers as needed to get your snoring resolved.

Dental Sleep and TMD Center of Illinois, a premiere snoring and apnea treatment center in Naperville, has been providing the CPAP alternative treatment of oral appliance therapy for over 17 years successfully.  We are extremely passionate in helping individuals that have been struggling with CPAP therapy in Naperville, Lisle, Aurora, Bolingbrook and surrounding Chicago suburbs.  For more information on this physician-recommended treatment option. visit www.TiredOfSnoring.com or call us at (630) 369-5508.

Are your dinner time choices keeping you awake at night?

Are your dinnertime choices keeping you awake at night? Making right choices at the dinner table may help you sleep better. What you eat before bedtime could become problematic. We all know how important sleep is to our overall health. Late night snacks or high fatty foods may keep you awake at night and leave you feeling groggy and fatigued the next day.

Steaks and chops are delicious, but they are high in fat, especially when they are laden with gravies and sauces. Ice cream hits the spot, but again, it is so high in fat. What about a glass of wine or a cocktail? Yes, alcohol can be problematic, too. If you happen to suffer with acid reflux at night, stay clear of tomatoes.

These 5 food items eaten at dinner time will rob you of shut eye and could keep you awake at night:

1. Beef, fatty meats
2. Ice Cream
3. Alcoholic beverages
4. Chocolate
5. Desserts high in sugar

For more information, click on the link below. Please read the full article.
http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/blogs/editor/2013/11/sleep-better-foods-that-are-keeping-you-up-at-night.html?mbid=synd_foxfood

photo credit to Epicurious

Dental Sleep and TMD Center of Illinois, a premiere snoring and apnea treatment center in Naperville, has been providing the CPAP alternative treatment of Oral Appliance Therapy successfully for over 15 years. We are extremely passionate in helping individuals that have been struggling with CPAP therapy in Naperville, Lisle, Aurora, Bolingbrook and surrounding Chicago suburbs. For more information on this physician-recommended treatment, call us at (630) 369-5508.

Dr. Michael Breus shares new guidelines on Obstructive Sleep Apnea

A recent article by Dr. Michael Breus has summarized the 3 major points to the newest guidelines set forth by the American College of Physicians for physicians treating individuals with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

The newest recommendations:

• Weight loss – Since weight loss can have a positive impact on obstructive sleep apnea, they are encouraging physicians to help their overweight OSA patients focus on weight loss.

• The ACP is also recommending CPAP as the first option for initial treatment of sleep apnea patients. However, the organization is also aware of the fact that many individuals do not use their prescribed CPAP.

• The ACP is also recommending that mandibular advancement devices (Oral Appliance Therapy / OAT) be considered for initial treatment of sleep apnea in patients who have adverse reactions to CPAP.

Drug therapy and surgery were not recommended within these guidelines for treating OSA.

Read more on this here:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-michael-j-breus/sleep-apnea_b_4241113.html

Dental Sleep and TMD Center of Illinois, a premiere snoring and apnea treatment center in Naperville, has been providing the CPAP alternative treatment of Oral Appliance Therapy successfully for over 15 years. We are extremely passionate in helping individuals that have been struggling with CPAP therapy in Naperville, Lisle, Aurora, Bolingbrook and surrounding Chicago suburbs. For more information on this physician recommended treatment option call us at (630)369-5508.

Although scientists still are trying to find out why people need sleep, research on the sleep of animals show that sleep is necessary for survival.  Some experts believe sleep allows the body to repair itself: during sleep many cells show increased production of proteins, the essentials building blocks needed for cell growth and repair from stress and ultraviolet rays.  The fact that many biochemicals and physiological processes take place during sleep has led to consensus among researchers that adequate sleep is essential to health and wellness.

A look at the impact of sleep loss on physiological and cognitive functions can also help shed on the purpose of sleep.  Some of the functions include memory and attention, complex thoughts, motor response, and emotional control.  But sleep loss does far more than make us grumpy and groggy.  In the past few years, investigators have found that sleep loss may have harmful consequences for our immune system, as well as contribute to serious illness such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension.

Dental Sleep and TMD Center of Illinois, a premiere snoring and apnea treatment center in Naperville, has been providing the CPAP alternative treatment of oral appliance therapy for over 15 years successfully. For more information on this physician recommended treatment option call us at (630) 369-5508.

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Usually comparative studies of oral appliance and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) to treat obstructive sleep apnea are small and with limitations.

Recently in a randomized crossover trial that involved 126 obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients, researchers compared CPAP with an adjustable mandibular advancement device that was adjusted to the most comfortable maximum limit.  Sleep apnea was shown in patients mild, moderate and severe and the study lasted one month.

The baseline apnea index (AHI) was 26 events per hour.  AHI was markedly decreased both in CPAP and oral device.  But mean on-treatment AHI was significantly lower with CPAP 5 vs. 11 events/hr, and the proportion of patients whose AHI normalized was higher with CPAP (about 75% vs. 40%).   The AHI difference between treatment groups of OSA and CPAP patients was striking between patients with severe OSA and moderate OSA.  Patient compliance was significantly higher with the mandibular device than with CPAP (average reported use 6.5% vs. 5.2 hours).

Blood pressure was measured for 24 hours and were unchanged in both groups.  Equally improved daytime sleepiness was seen in both groups.  When eight quality of life indicators were evaluated, the mandibular appliance was equal to CPAP in four indicators and superior to CPAP in four indicators.

Dental Sleep and TMD Center of Illinois, a premiere snoring and apnea treatment center in Naperville has been providing the CPAP alternative treatment of oral appliance therapy for over 15 years successfully. For more information on this physician recommended treatment option, visit www.TiredOfSnoring.com or call us at (630) 369-5508.