Charlotte, North Carolina: CPAP and CPAP Alternatives

CPAP is an excellent treatment however studies have shown that 60% of patients do not tolerate CPAP and discontinue use. Even patients who use CPAP average only 4-5 hours a day. Dr Kent Moore a Charlotte Dentist is an expert at treating patients who have Sleep Apnea. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine and a past president of the Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine.

If you Hate CPAP call Dr Moore today to learn more about comfortable oral appliance alternatives to CPAP.

Don't let Sleep Apnea and Snoring ruin your life, Dr Kent Moore can give you a comfortable treatment you can live with.

What is a Polysomnogram?

Big words like polysomnogram are intimidating but are really quite simple when you know what they mean. A polysomnogram is an overnight sleep study that is administered to test for various different sleep disorders. It is a common procedure that is used to diagnose sleep apnea.

More specifically, a polysomnogram monitors the biophysiological changes your body undergoes during sleep. This includes, but isn't limited to:

• Brain waves
• Heart activity
• Breathing
• Eye activity
• Leg movements

This comprehensive list of bodily activities is closely monitored in order to paint a complete picture as to what your body experiences when you are asleep. An abnormality in any of these activities can combine to contribute to various sleep disorders, including sleep apnea.

A polysomnogram is usually performed at a hospital or a sleep center. You will go to the sleep center or hospital at night and your sleep will be monitored during your normal bed time. A series of sensors and wires will gently be placed on your skin while you sleep to monitor your body’s activity during your slumber. A doctor will come in to reattach sensors if they become dislodged during sleep. The sensors will also have to be removed if you need to go to the bathroom during the middle of the night.

After your sleep study, an experienced medical professional will analyze the results and will determine what variety of sleep disorder that you may have. It can take up to two weeks for you to receive the results of your sleep study.

If your doctor or dentist determines that you have sleep apnea, it is important to get medical help as soon as possible. Sleep apnea can cause life-threatening medical conditions, but there are several treatments for this very common sleep disorder.

If you suffer from sleep apnea and live in the Gurnee, IL area, please contact sleep dentist Dr. Ira Shapira today.

Sleep Apnea and Body Mass Index

A recent study has now shown that length and quality of sleep is linked directly to a person’s Body Mass Index (BMI). The study found that on average, people sleeping less than normal had a BMI index about 4 points higher than a “normal” sleeper.

In addition to these findings, the study also found that “short sleepers” have a harder time falling asleep in general. Despite sleeping less, short sleepers tended to also be about 25% more active than long sleepers during the day and spent almost 1,000 more calories during the day.

This is interesting because it shows that a long, restful night sleep can be even more beneficial than we once thought. People who sleep longer and more soundly use fewer calories but tend to have a lower BMI.

People suffering from sleep apnea can wake up many times during the night because their body needs oxygen. These countless repetitions of waking up momentarily and going back to sleep can cause many other sleep apnea dangers in addition to a higher BMI.

If you or your spouse is suffering from snoring or sleep apnea and are ready to correct the problem, please contact Gurnee, Illinois sleep apnea dentist, Dr. Ira Shapira, to find out the best way to treat your obstructive sleep apnea.

Sleepwalking and Sleep Apnea Linked

According to a recent study, almost 1 in 10 people suffering from obstructive sleep apnea also suffer from some form of parasomnia. While obstructive sleep apnea may not cause parasomnia, it can make the condition worse if you are already predisposed to it. An experienced sleep dentist can help people determine if they are suffering from either parasomnia or sleep apnea.

Parasomnia is a sleeping condition many people suffer from that includes a few different symptoms like sleepwalking, sleep paralysis, acting-out dreams, hallucinations, and even eating or driving.

New research looked at the sleep records of 537 sleep patients and found that 51 patients who suffered from sleep apnea also suffered from one or more symptoms of parasomnia. This means that about 10 percent of sleep apnea sufferers may also be suffering from the symptoms of parasomnia. Parasomnia can be very dangerous, sleepwalking or driving while asleep can injure you or the people around you.

One of the reasons sleep apnea can put people more at risk for parasomnia is because the brain becomes active the going through a sleep apnea episode. During one of these episodes, the soft tissue in the throat closes and the body is momentarily deprived of oxygen; the brain is then aroused so that you can breathe again.

This brain arousal can cause the symptoms of parasomnia. Sleep apnea can have other hazardous affects on your health like an increased risk of heart attack, high blood pressure, and stroke. Some of the symptoms of sleep apnea include being tired during the day, snoring, depression, and weight gain.

If you believe that you or your sleeping partner is suffering from sleep apnea or parasomnia, there are solutions available to you. To put an end to your sleep problems, please contact Dr. Ira Shapira, Gurnee, Illinois sleep dentist today.

American Acaemy of Dental Sleep Medicine Meeting in San Antonio

I am attending the AADSM in San Antonio Texas this weekend. I spend way too much time on continuing education but I will pass on new information that is relevant to my readers.

As I reported a compliance device for oral appliances was shown at the trucking and sleep apnea meeting last month in Baltimore. Being able to measure compliance is the last piece needed to make dental sleep medicine overtake CPAP as the "Gold Standard"

While not perfect oral appliances are preferred by the majority of patients offered a choice of CPAP or Oral Appliances.

Please watch for posts on new developments in Dental Sleep Medicine.

Improve Academic Performance with Sleep Apnea Detection

In general, the people who are at most at risk for sleep apnea are older individuals and people who are severely overweight. Sleep apnea can prevent the body and brain from getting the deep, restful sleep required by everyone to perform at their peak. For adolescents suffering from Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), academic studies can be seriously affected.

When someone is suffering the OSA, the soft tissues in the throat can temporarily close during sleep. The brain must then wake the body and open the throat so oxygen can reach the lungs. This process can occur hundreds of times in a single night, resulting in many different physical and mental side effects:
• Daytime Exhaustion
• Depression
• High Blood Pressure
• Memory Loss
• Weight Gain
• Headaches

If your child is dealing with some or all of these sleep apnea symptoms while attempting to complete schoolwork, their grades could suffer. By contacting an experienced sleep dentist like Dr. Ira Shaira in Gurnee, Illinois, you can find out if your son or daughter is suffering from sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea is a serious condition that affects millions of people all over the world, so there is a chance that your child is suffering from the dangerous sleep disorder. Please contact Dr. Ira Shapira, Gurnee, Illinois sleep dentist today to schedule a sleep evaluation.

SUAD not Working: what about combination therapy?

Comment: Steve Would like information about OPAP treatment for sleep apnea.

Comment Christy
Hello,
Steven my name is Christy I work with Dr. Ira Shapira in the Chicago-land area. He is the founder of the ihatecpap web site. The site is dedicated for alternative treatment to the machines. We have sleep apnea trained dentist all around the country. Where exactly do you live what the closest larger city. Please forward me this info and I will try to locate someone in your area to help you.
Keep Smiling
Christy

Steve:
I live closest to Philadelphia. I have a custom made oral appliance (Suade device/?spelling). While I have noted some improvement, I still have sleep apnea. I suspect I could tolerate and would benefit from CPAP if the machine were attached to an oral appliance with appropriate connections. I was unable to tolerate conventional CPAP with face mask.
I have not been able to find any local practitioners who offer that particular option (oral appliance with connector to allow connection to CPAP unit), but rather only offer oral appliances.
Thanks for your help. It is really, really appreciated.

Dr Shapira

I frequently see out of town patients in my Gurnee office but I am sending you contact info for George a regional sales manager for TAP who has the best appliance interface but would require a new appliance. I am copying this e-mail to George.

The OPAP is not my favorite appliance. There is considerable danger of inflating stomache which is problematic

CPAP Pro also makes an appliance that attatches to an appliance but does not advance the mandible.

It is possible to add an extension to the maxillary portion of the SUAD and connect a nasal mask with Velcro to the appliance extension. It is also possible to connect to CPAP Pro

Without access to you sleep study I do not know details but some patients can use a positioner to stay off their back in conjunction with an appliance if there is a positional component to the sleep apnea.

Another option is to revamp SUAD and reshape to remove retrusive reflex contacts to tongue and/or add protrusive tongue reflex aaptations.

Occasionally adding an anterior vertical stop to a SUAD can improve success as can additional anterior moverment. I usually do not use a SUAD as an initial appliance but titrate with TAP ! and then make SUAD to the titrated treatment position.

The TAP 1 appliance is still the the most effective appliance due to ability to advance mandible beyond maximum protrusion and ease of titration during sleep study. The TAP 3 fits the new interface that Keith Thornton designed. They also can make a custom fit nasal mask connected to TAP 3

There are always custom appliances that can improve efficacy but are not FDA approved.

The full Breath appliance invented by Bryan Keropian also works via a different method of maintaining airway by rstraining the tongue.

I hope this is helpful.

Dr Ira L Shapira