Have you been diagnosed with sleep apnea or insomnia? Do you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep? Many patients, unfortunately, suffer from BOTH of these problems. In my office, we call the combination of insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea the “double whammy!” Insomnia can result in sleep deprivation. And we all know that too little sleep is not a good thing. I read a study the other day that linked the amount of sleep with the equivalent number of beers you drink, when it comes to reaction times and driving abilities. An “all nighter” like I used to do in dental school, studying for the next big exam, is out of the question these days at 55 years old, but staying up very late and then having to get up early is something I sometimes do. So instead of the 7-8 hours of sleep that I need, I get only four hours on occasion. And most of us don’t think anything about that, other than, I’m kind of tired, and while we would never consider driving after 4 or 5 beers, we think nothing of driving after only 4 hours of sleep. Danger! Four hours of sleep makes you a worse driver than someone who has a blood alcohol of 0.08, legally drunk. Wow!
If you have trouble falling asleep and then when you are asleep, your airway closes down and sleep apnea keeps you from oxygenating well, then that can spell trouble. Sleep deprivation is bad enough, but then when you do finally get some shut eye, your airway closes down and sleep apnea kicks in, resulting in poor sleep quality, low oxygen levels, and increased risks for heart attacks and strokes, and as mentioned before, automobile crashes. Dr. Drake’s Sleep Solutions can help you find answers to your sleep problems. Dr. Drake can make you a custom fitted mandibular repositioning device to reposition your jaw and help keep your airway open while you sleep. You don’t have to use CPAP. Call us today and schedule a no cost no obligation consultation at 210-541-9001.