Is there Medication for Sleep Apnea?

November 16, 2021

Filed under: Sleep Apnea — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — drfedosky @ 12:44 am

Sleep is arguably the most important activity to allow our bodies to function at the highest ability, so it should be startling that 50 to 70 million adults in the U.S. are affected by a sleep disorder (American Sleep Association [ASA], 2021). Even more shocking, 25 million of those Americans are diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea, also known as OSA. Not receiving the proper amount of sleep is a nationwide issue.

Sleep Rehab Plano

Uncontrolled, there are a lot of health risks associated with Sleep Apnea including heart attacks, high blood pressure, and stroke, just to name a few. Aside from those, drowsiness during the day can affect your life in negative ways. When exhausted, you can’t work at your highest potential, you’re irritable around family and friends, and you put your physical health on the backburner. Shouldn’t there be a magic pill to make all of this go away?

Medication is generally used to treat issues that can change physiologically in your body like high blood pressure, cholesterol, and infection. Unfortunately, you can’t anatomically alter your existing body parts with medication. In the case of Sleep Apnea, your narrow airway is the problem, and only devices and surgery can assist with opening up this passageway.

We wish there was a magic pill for Sleep Apnea as much as everyone else. But until that happens (if ever!) we’re going to have to rely on the cutting edge techniques at Sleep Rehab. We offer a variety of products that we tailor to you to make sleeping as effortless as possible, without requiring invasive surgery or heavy machinery. Contact us today for a consultation and start sleeping better.

Oral Appliance Spotlight: Whole You™ Respire Blue

July 13, 2021

Filed under: Sleep Apnea — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , — drfedosky @ 11:19 pm

Feeling exhausted in the morning and throughout the day, despite getting an adequate amount of sleep, is a common side-effect of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (also known as OSA). There are a lot of modern solutions available, but it’s important to find the solution that best fits your needs.

Sleep Rehab prides itself on providing non-invasive and non-surgical solutions for sufferers of OSA. Dr. Fedosky and his team of highly skilled medical professionals provide top-of-the-line products to get you back to a more comfortable life. This month, we’re highlighting an oral appliance, the Whole You™ Respire Blue.

Respire Blue | Whole You Whole You

This product is an alternative solution for something more robust like a CPAP machine. As a customized, personalized mouthpiece, it features a dual block design with interlocking wings. It works by keeping the airway open in any sleep position and allows for a wide range of mouth movements.

The Respire Blue has mesh support that is welded and placed inside the acrylic mouthpiece. This improvement offers one of the strongest dorsal fin designs on the market, it’s easily adjustable, and it has more room in the anterior area which allows the patient to open and close as they please. It is also open in the front to add comfort by increasing the tongue space allowing the patient to inhale and exhale more air per breath.

More details:

  • 4-Wing dorsal fin appliance
  • Dual-block design with more freedom for vertical mouth movement
  • Additional support for lateral movement
  • 1-year manufacturer’s warranty

It should be noted that the Whole You™ Respire Blue is not available for purchase on its own. A sleep test and diagnosis are required, which can be done at Sleep Rehab! Please fill out an appointment form here and we look forward to helping you soon.

Is Sleep Apena Hereditary?

February 10, 2021

Filed under: Sleep Apnea — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , — drfedosky @ 2:03 pm

A lot of health disorders originate from genetics, and you may be wondering if your Sleep Apnea is hereditary. It could be that you had a parent that struggled with sleeplessness and snoring and now that you’ve been formally diagnosed, it may have occurred to you that it could run through the family genes.

According to an article on healthline.org, “Research suggests that obstructive sleep apnea is about 40 percent attributable to genetics, which means it can be hereditary.” That is quite a large percentage, especially because the other 60 percent are attributed to environmental and/or lifestyle-related factors. In short, the more relatives you have with Sleep Apnea, the higher percentage that you will also have Sleep Apnea in your lifetime.

You may have children and are worried about passing Sleep Apnea along to them. The good news is that there is not a clear genetic link related to Sleep Apnea, but according to healthline.org, “Additionally, it’s been shown that obesity can have underlying genetic causes. Since obesity is a major risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea, this is an indirect way obstructive sleep apnea is hereditary.”

The important thing to know is that if you can keep your weight at a healthy number, the development or progress of this sleep disorder could subside. However, if you feel like you’ve tried everything and need a successful solution, at Sleep Rehab we offer a variety of non-invasive, non-surgical CPAP alternatives to treat Sleep Apnea.

You can’t choose your genes, but you can choose a solution to an inevitable problem, and we are here for you. Request an appointment at Sleep Rehab today.

3 Myths About Sleep Apnea

September 15, 2020

Filed under: Sleep Apnea,Snoring — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — drfedosky @ 12:40 pm

There is so much information floating around the Internet, it’s hard to know what is true and what is false. When beginning your searches about symptoms regarding sleep apnea, you may have run across some scary, but not possibly quite true, information. At Sleep Rehab, our goal is to make you well informed and confident about treating your symptoms. So, let’s bust some myths about Sleep Apnea!

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Myth 1: Obesity is the main cause of Sleep Apnea.

Yes, there is a link between Obstructive Sleep Apnea and weight gain, as we wrote about in this blog post. However, there are several factors that can affect your breathing at night and obesity is just one of them. As concluded by the Lost Angeles Sleep Study Institute, “Weight is a factor in developing sleep apnea, as the fatty tissue in the back of the throat can collapse and block the airway as the muscles relax during sleep. However, even a well-conditioned athlete who has a large, muscular neck may have a similar problem. Even a thin person can have sleep apnea if he or she has a narrowed airway or structural abnormalities of the jaw, tonsils or adenoids, septum, tongue and soft palate.”

Myth 2: Snoring means you have Sleep Apnea.

Snoring is a common symptom of Sleep Apnea patients, but just because you snore does not mean that you have Sleep Apnea. Snoring is only a clue that Sleep Apnea may be a possibility. According to the Mayo Clinic, snoring can occur with alcohol consumption, having a narrow nasal airway, a family history of snoring, or being a man (men are more likely to snore than women).

Myth 3: A CPAP machine is the most effective treatment of Sleep Apnea.

A CPAP machine has been a popular treatment for Sleep Apnea patients for decades. It delivers air pressure to keep a person’s airway open. However, there have been issues surrounding the use of a CPAP machine including claustrophobia, dry mouth, skin irritation, and nasal problems. Thankfully, the medical community is always advancing and there are as effective, or even more effective, Sleep Apnea treatments and Sleep Rehab is always on the cutting edge. We offer easy-to-wear oral appliances that are a lot of like a mouthguard and much less intrusive than a CPAP machine.

 

We hope busting these myths about Sleep Apnea puts you on a more clear path to treating your symptoms of sleeplessness and snoring. When you’re ready, make an appointment to see a specialist at Sleep Rehab to get a better night’s sleep.

Sleeping Postion for Snorers

August 12, 2020

Filed under: Sleep Apnea,Snoring — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — drfedosky @ 9:53 pm
When you turn in for the day, you probably don’t think much about what position you end up falling asleep. Maybe you move the pillow around to get comfortable, but you may not realize how you are sleeping is a subtle aid in your overall restfulness for the night. If you find yourself waking up feeling more tired than when you went to bed, it may be time to find a new sleeping position.

woman sleeping peacefully and smiling

Snoring? Try side-sleeping
If you snore, there is a chance you may be suffering from sleep apnea, which is the condition in which your airway gets blocked at night, ultimately restricting your breathing. In order to create better airflow, the best sleeping position to reduce snoring is side-sleeping. Curling up reducing you breathing too deeply, too. If this isn’t natural for you, don’t worry, you’re not alone. The good news is that you can teach yourself to become a side-sleeper.

How do you change your sleeping position?
First, make sure you have a good mattress. If you can fall asleep without interruption of feeling uncomfortable, there is less of a chance to retreating to your old habits. Next, make sure you have pillows that can essentially contour your new sleeping position. For instance, hugging a body pillow can reinforce sleeping on your side and prevent you from turning over on your stomach. But most importantly, as with changing any habit, practice makes perfect. Constantly remind yourself to get back on your side if you wake up in the middle of the night in a different position. Have a spouse help keep you in the right direction, too!

Changing your sleeping position is just one way to try and reduce your snoring due to sleep apnea. If you have tried everything and still waking up listless and exhausted, contact Sleep Rehab today for a consultation. We’re here to help!

Not Sleeping Well During the Pandemic? Try These 3 Tips

May 27, 2020

Filed under: Sleep Apnea — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — drfedosky @ 9:50 pm

As busy and sleep-deprived as our lives were pre-COVID-19, there have been mass accounts of sleep issues during this pandemic. Have you been experiencing trouble sleeping during the last two months? Well, rest assured (pun intended) that you’re not alone! Nothing could prepare us for the anxiety, uncertainty, and worry that comes with a global crisis.

However, getting adequate shut-eye with a rampant virus is going on is critical. Sleep boosts your immune system, strengthens your body’s defense system and can even aid in making vaccines (when it comes available) more effective.

In addition to positive effects for the body, a solid night’s rest can improve mood and brain function. We’re so used to making plans and constantly moving, so being asked to slow down and deal with an uncertain future can make you feel anxious and potentially depressed. In other words, we can use all of the mood enhancers we can get!

What can you do to get back to a night of healthy sleep?

Set your schedule.

Set a routine wake-up time even if you’re working from home or currently unemployed. It’s crucial to keep your body on a steady schedule. This also means making time to wind down before bed and going to bed around the same time every night.

Reserve your bed for bedtime.

Working from home means you can probably work anywhere in your house, but leave the work out of the bedroom. Your brain needs to be able to separate work from rest.

Stay active.

Make sure to get outside and go for a walk, jog or bike ride to release your mind of any anxiety and stress related to the pandemic. This will help you sleep better at night!

Like everything, this too shall pass. But in the meantime, take care of your mind and body. If you need additional help sleeping, contact Sleep Rehab for a consultation. We’re here for you!