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158-A Commerce Park Drive
Westerville, Ohio 43082
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Snoring is common in adults and as one ages, snoring becomes more prevalent. But oftentimes, the person snoring is not the only affected. Family members, and especially spouses, who are subjected to loud and disruptive snoring night after night, are also affected physically and emotionally. But the one who snores may also be risking developing very serious physical problems that can be life-threatening.
What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?
It is common to think that sleep apnea is just a snoring problem. Although snoring is the obvious symptom of sleep apnea, what you don’t hear may be a more serious problem. Potentially, sleep apnea is a health-serious disorder that causes breathing to stop and start during sleep which occurs when the throat muscles relax and block your airway.
Symptoms of Sleep Apnea
In addition to loud snoring, sufferers may have morning headaches, daytime sleepiness, episodes of not breathing during sleep, high blood pressure and even depression and irritability. You may even experience waking to find yourself choking and gasping for air and difficulty concentrating during the day. These symptoms can lead to more serious health conditions, including heart attack and stroke.
Treatment of Sleep Apnea
Dr. Wesley Shankland treats obstructed sleep apnea with several types of oral appliances that thrust the jaw forward during sleep to open the airway. Commonly, a C-PAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine is a standard of care for sleep therapy however, not everyone can tolerate sleeping with a mask and machine at night. Most insurances recognize diagnosis and treatment for sleep apnea, so you can contact your plan to inquire if benefits are available. In severe cases, there are patients who require surgical treatment for obstructed sleep apnea and Dr. Shankland will refer patients who require surgery.
Dr. Shankland has had extensive training in the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disordered breathing, one common disorder is obstructive sleep apnea. Working in conjunction with sleep physicians, Dr. Shankland uses a variety of oral appliances in lieu of CPAP, which are far more comfortable to patients and most generally foster better compliance than CPAP.
Using several types of oral appliances and with other adjunctive sleep aids, Dr. Shankland and his staff have been very pleased with the results they have seen, and so have the patients.
OSA has been shown to increase a person’s risk for stroke, high blood pressure, forgetfulness, heart problems and many other serious problems. Basically, you can be treated with CPAP or an oral appliance.
If you have been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea, your life may depend on its treatment. CPAP can be used if you want to go to bed looking like a fighter pilot! Or, you can use a comfortable, effective oral appliance.
