If you have trouble sleeping at night, then you’ve probably tried all of the suggestions from the experts: have dinner at least three hours before going to bed; turn off the computer, your smart phone and the television at least one hour before bedtime; and try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day including weekends. If none of these have worked, however, then the problem may not be your sleep habits but a medical condition known as sleep apnea. Researchers estimate that some 20 million American adults have sleep apnea. Of those, an estimated 80 percent have not been diagnosed and are therefore not getting treatment. For sleep apnea in State College, Dr. Donald Marks diagnoses the condition and will recommend the best course of treatment so you and the person on the other side of the bed can get the rest you both need.
What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a medical condition that pauses or even stops breathing while you are asleep. Each apnea episode can last for just a few seconds or up to a minute. And while many sufferers are unaware, episodes can actually happen hundreds of times a night. Therefore, the cumulative loss of sleep can be quite significant night after night.
The most common form of this condition is called obstructive sleep apnea. In this case, the problem starts when tissue in your throat relaxes around your airway. When this occurs, your breathing passage can become blocked, so you’re unable to breathe normally.
Signs and Symptoms of Sleep Apnea
A common symptom of sleep apnea is loud snoring, which is the sound that results when air vibrates the tissue that surrounds your throat. With sleep apnea, snoring may stop and then breathing resumes with gasping and coughing. Other symptoms include:
- Headaches in the morning
- Trouble concentrating during the day
- Memory loss
- Depression and irritability
- A sore throat in the morning
- Extreme daytime drowsiness
Diagnosing Sleep Apnea
In addition to consultation with patients, Dr. Marks also recommends patients take the STOP-BANG quiz online. STOP-BANG stands for Snoring, Tiredness, Observation, Pressure, Body mass, Age, Neck size, and Gender—all of which are indicators of potential sleep apnea.
Sleep Apnea Treatment in State College
Dr. Marks offers sleep apnea treatment in State College with Continuous Positive Airway Pressure therapy, or CPAP, which forces air into the lungs in order to keep the airway open; oral appliance therapy that shifts the lower jaw forward to facilitate easy breathing; or combined therapy with a CPAP machine and attached oral appliance.
Contact Our Office Today
If you suspect that you our your bed buddy might have sleep apnea, then call our office or take our online quiz. Then, Dr. Marks will be able to determine which course of treatment is best for you.