{"id":8699,"date":"2021-05-25T15:15:29","date_gmt":"2021-05-25T15:15:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/?p=8699"},"modified":"2024-10-22T21:46:38","modified_gmt":"2024-10-22T21:46:38","slug":"using-a-mouth-guard-for-sleep-apnea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/using-a-mouth-guard-for-sleep-apnea\/","title":{"rendered":"Using A Mouth Guard For Sleep Apnea"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"724\" height=\"483\" src=\"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/mouthguard.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8702\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/mouthguard.jpg 724w, https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/mouthguard-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/mouthguard-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 724px) 100vw, 724px\" \/><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>America\u2019s expanding waistline\r\nmay be responsible for another growing problem in our country \u2013 sleep apnea.\r\nApproximately 18 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea and many of them are\r\noverweight or obese. In fact, the most common cause of Obstructive Sleep Apnea\r\nin adults is obesity.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Obstructive sleep apnea is a\r\ncommon and serious disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops for 10 seconds\r\nor more during sleep. People with this condition often have trouble staying in\r\na deep sleep because their throats close, blocking their airways. As a result,\r\nthey partially awaken to start breathing properly. They do not realize they\u2019re\r\nwaking up and may become very sleepy during the day.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Obstructive sleep apnea can\r\nlead to high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and even death. People with\r\nsleep apnea are also at an increased risk of work and driving-related\r\naccidents, due to inadequate sleep at night.&nbsp; It\u2019s important that anyone\r\nwith signs and symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea \u2014 especially loud snoring,\r\nrepeated nighttime awakenings and daytime sleepiness speak with a physician.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Fortunately, sleep apnea is\r\ntreatable. Trying to lose weight is the best way to help people sleep better.\r\nRecent studies have proven that weight loss can significantly improve and\r\npotentially eliminate obstructive sleep apnea symptoms in obese individuals.\r\nIf, however, weight loss attempts are not successful, a common and effective\r\ntreatment for sleep apnea is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), where\r\npatients wear a mask connected to a machine that blows air.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>According to WebMD, oral\r\nappliances may be an effective treatment option, such as:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Mandibular advancement device (MAD).<\/strong>&nbsp;The\r\nmost widely used mouth device for sleep apnea, MADs look much like a mouth\r\nguard used in sports. The devices snap over the upper and lower dental arches\r\nand have metal hinges that make it possible for the lower jaw to be eased forward.\r\nSome, such as the Thornton Adjustable Positioner (TAP), allow you to control\r\nthe degree of advancement.<\/li><li><strong>Tongue\r\nretaining device.<\/strong>&nbsp;Used less commonly than MAD, this\r\ndevice is a splint that holds the tongue in place to keep the airway open.<\/li><\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>These options are effective for people with mild to\r\nmoderate sleep apnea, particularly those who sleep on their backs or stomachs,\r\ndental devices may improve sleep and reduce the frequency and loudness of\r\nsnoring. Also, people are more likely to use their dental appliances regularly\r\nthan CPAP.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>These\r\ndevices must be fitted by a Dentist or Orthodontist and worn in the mouth at night.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>If you have been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea and have not been helped by the CPAP, you can contact <a href=\"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/\">Jamaica Hospital Medical Center\u2019s <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/clinical-services\/dental\/\">Dental Center<\/a> to schedule a consultation with a Dentist to see if a mouth guard is a better option of treatment for you. \u00a0You can call, <a href=\"tel:718-206-6980\">718-206-6980<\/a> to schedule an appointment. <\/p>\r\n<p class=\"disclaimer\">All content of this newsletter is intended for general information purposes only and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.  Please consult a medical professional before adopting any of the suggestions on this page.   You must never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment based upon any content of this newsletter.<strong>  PROMPTLY CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN OR CALL 911 IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY.<\/strong> <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>America\u2019s expanding waistline may be responsible for another growing problem in our country \u2013 sleep apnea. Approximately 18 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea and many of them are overweight or obese. In fact, the most common cause of Obstructive &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/using-a-mouth-guard-for-sleep-apnea\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8699","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8699"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8699\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11687,"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8699\/revisions\/11687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}