Sleep & Snoring
Can You Remember the Last Time You Had a Great Night’s Sleep?
Why is Snoring a Problem?
Snoring is only one of the sleep disorders that can interfere with your sleep and rob you of rest and rejuvenation.
During sleep, your throat muscles relax, and the tissues of your soft palate and throat become limp or “floppy.” Your tongue sinks back, narrowing the airway so that as you breathe, the walls of your throat vibrate and cause the sound we call snoring. Snoring leads to disruptions in sleep and can ruin your rest as well as your bed-partner’s rest.
In some people, the tissues in the throat narrow and collapse completely, blocking the airway and resulting in a sleep disorder called obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a serious disorder that causes breathing to cease and can lead to additional medical concerns if not treated. Many people are unaware they have sleep apnea until their disrupted sleep pattern is observed by someone else.
Snoring loudly often indicates that sleep apnea is a problem. Other symptoms of sleep apnea are waking suddenly and gasping for breath, waking with a choking sensation, daytime sleepiness, headaches, and fatigue.
Left untreated, sleep apnea can lead to irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure and artery blockage. Fifty percent of people who have OSA and fail to get treatment will suffer a heart attack or stroke.
If you suspect you, or someone you know, has sleep apnea, schedule a consultation with Dr. Gergits. He can evaluate your risk factors and may order a sleep study to confirm a diagnosis of sleep apnea. This will allow him to develop a detailed and appropriate plan of action to treat your level of sleep apnea.
You Deserve Restful Sleep!
We provide evaluation and treatment of sleep disorders for patients in Phoenix, Glendale, Tempe and surrounding areas at our office in North Scottsdale.
