By Dr. Michael J. Bixby, DMD FAGD

1. I snore. Could I have Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). What does OSA mean?
2. I hate my CPAP machine, what can I do?

Last month, I talked about how improper breathing as a child effects development and can lead to health issues later in life. This month, we will talk about how obstructive sleep apnea can affect you or your loved ones.

According to John Remmers MD (sleep disorder specialist), snoring is not normal and should not occur. Forty percent of adults over 40 years old snore. Of these, 60-80% have obstructive sleep apnea.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) – OSA is a sleep disorder where the person stops breathing during sleep. This causes a number of issues including lack of effective sleep and numerous health issues.

A number of studies have shown some very serious effects in patients with OSA:

1. 17% of the United States population has OSA. The problem is 95% don’t know they have it.
2. 90% of OSA patients have high blood pressure.
3. 65-80% of stroke patients have OSA.
4. The biggest of all: untreated OSA can result in a 20% shorter life expectancy.

Courtesy of Dr. John Remmers MD and Dr. David Gozal MD

Sleep Apnea in Children- OSA is present in 3% of all pre-school children. It may be responsible for a 10 point drop in I.Q. A study of poorly performing 1^{st graders found that the group had OSA 6-9 times higher than a normal group.}

Treatment – The most common treatment for sleep apnea is a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machine (CPAP). This machine keeps a constant flow of air which keeps the airway open. This allows the patient to breathe uninterrupted during sleep.

There are a number people that have been prescribed a CPAP that cannot get used to it. Many choose not to use their CPAP. Based on the stats above, this is a pretty risky gamble. There is an oral appliance that has been shown to help patients with their OSA. Many patients that have sleep apnea benefit from an appliance that can open their airway by bringing the jaw forward. It is important however, to verify the effectiveness of the appliance with a sleep study. This will make sure that appliance is doing what it is suppose to do.

Sleep Apnea is a very serious condition, which will impact the quality and length of your life. If you think that you or a loved one has OSA, please get checked out.