Texas Child Thrives Only After Sleep Apnea Diagnosis and Treatment

A sleep apnea diagnosis and subsequent treatments came as a welcome relief to the parents of 6-year-old  Emma Weedon.

Since infancy, the girl suffered from night terrors and generalized anxiety, and was recently struggling to adjust to preschool, according to a July 2014 report on KETK-TV, an NBC affiliate in Tyler, Texas.

Emma's parents believed an ADHD diagnosis was hasty. They also felt hesitant to medicate their child unnecessarily. Finally, a visit with sleep doctors revealed that Emma suffered from such sleep apnea symptoms as irregular breathing and teeth grinding. She had been waking about every half-hour during the night since she was less than a year old.

With appropriate sleep apnea treatment, however, Emma's sleep improved along with her growth rate, concentration, and overall health.

While Emily found success with continuous positive airway pressure therapy, many other children find it difficult to sleep with a CPAP, making them candidates for other sleep apnea treatments like a custom oral appliance.

It is common for young children to struggle to regulate their sleep as they grow up. But particularly when kids are unusually or inexplicably challenged in other areas of their development, such as concentrating in school or maintaining an active lifestyle, a visit with a pediatric sleep specialist to talk about sleep apnea could prove illuminating.

Sleep doctors suspect that between 10 and 25 percent of kids age 2 to 8 suffer from children's sleep apnea. Its symptoms may include:

·         Snoring

·         Breathing difficulty during sleep

·         Chronically restless sleep

·         Night sweats

·         Nightmares, or "night terrors"

·         Bed wetting

·         Sleep walking

·         Slowed growth

·         Concentration problems

·         Hormonal and metabolic problems

·         Failure to thrive

If a child in your family is struggling with these or other symptoms and may benefit from a sleep apnea test and subsequent treatment, please contact a qualified sleep doctor today or call (866) 727-6275.
 

Am I a Good Sleep Apnea Appliance Candidate?

With dozens of different sleep apnea oral appliances now available, chances are great that this treatment is the right one for many mild to moderate sleep apnea sufferers -- particularly those patients who have found it difficult to use a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device.

A sleep apnea appliance looks like a mouth guard. When worn during sleep, these appliances work by pulling the lower jaw forward to keep the airway open while you sleep. Oral appliances, which can be used in concert with other sleep apnea treatments such as lifestyle changes or surgery, have the added benefit of being more comfortable to most sleep apnea patients than wearing a CPAP.

·         You may be an ideal candidate for a sleep apnea oral appliance if you comply with one of the following criteria:

·         Apnea persists despite weight loss and lifestyle changes.

·         Patients with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) who find themselves unable to use a CPAP.

Patients who would like to avoid more drastic surgical steps to correct sleep apnea such as tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy, or tracheotomy.
To find out more about how an oral appliance can address your sleep apnea, please contact one of our qualified sleep doctors today or call (866) 727-6275.

Romance Supports Sleep Apnea Diagnoses

Faster sleep apnea diagnosis may be among the marriage and long-term relationship benefits, which also include financial security, emotional maturity and better socialization.

 

"People who have no sleeping partner may go for years without recognizing their difficulty" with sleep apnea, Michigan surgeon John L. Pfenninger writes in a July 2014 Midland Daily News article about the challenges and dangers of living with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). " The classic hallmark of obstructive sleep apnea is snoring. Anyone with significant snoring problems should be evaluated."

Dr. Pfenninger also elaborates on the most common causes of sleep apnea, which is more dominant in men, particularly those with large necks. Among its causes:

·         Obesity

·         Drug, alcohol or sedative use or abuse

·         Aging

·         Decreased muscle tone

·         Naturally narrow airways

Sleeping alongside another person can help potential sleep apnea patients identify heavy snoring or interrupted night breathing. Since sleep apnea can exacerbate other health problems including cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure, it may be especially prudent for a patient to take note of such sleep apnea symptoms as:

·         Daytime sleepiness

·         Morning headaches

·         Insomnia

·         Concentration problems

·         Unusual moodiness or irritability

·         Depression

·         Fatigue

·         Decreased sex drive

If you believe you might be suffering from sleep apnea, please contact a qualified sleep physician in your area or call (866) 727-6275.

Sleep Apnea Linked to Deadly Train Accident

The conductor of the Metro-North train from Poughkeepsie to New York City that derailed in December 2013 reportedly suffered from sleep apnea, according to an investigation into the accident by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The early morning wreck occurred after the train moved too quickly around a sharp curve on the Hudson Line just outside Spuyten Duyvil station in The Bronx.  It left four people dead and dozens more injured.

The conductor, William Rockefeller, was a 20-year public transportation veteran and reportedly took several appropriate procedural safety precautions prior to leaving Poughkeepsie, including turning off his cell phone and conducting a safety meeting with the train's assistant conductor.

However Rockefeller also told investigators that he experienced something like a blackout while he was working, and only blinked back to consciousness after he sensed that something had gone very wrong with his train.

It was only after the accident that doctors and investigators concluded that he suffered from previously-undiagnosed sleep apnea, or the condition that causes sufferers to awaken up to hundreds of times during the night because of obstructed breathing.

Despite the fact that sleep apnea affects millions of Americans, its symptoms can be difficult to recognize. Sleep apnea symptoms include:

·         Loud snoring

·         Daytime sleepiness

·         Insomnia

·         Fatigue

·         Shortness of Breath

Do you currently suffer from sleep apnea and seek new treatment options, or do you simply want to learn more about this diagnosis? If so, please contact a qualified sleep physician in your area or call (866) 727-6275.