Sleep Apnea
Over 50% of us are not getting proper sleep, and people suffering from sleep apnea are 300% more likely to have a fatal car crash. If that weren’t enough, poor sleep makes you 23 times more likely to suffer a heart attack. Strokes, diabetes, and weight gain have all been directly linked to sleep apnea. Lack of sleep affects your ability to focus and perform at work. We constantly see patients who have decided to “power through” this potentially life-threatening problem.
We know this can kill us, so why do people choose not to seek treatment? For many years, the process the medical profession has put people through has contributed to this problem. The process of sending patients to sleep study centers where they are attached to sensors and told to sleep in a strange environment while someone in an adjacent room watches and monitors can be incredibly uncomfortable. Then, once diagnosed, the only treatment option was a mask that pumps air down your nose and mouth all night. Experts estimate that over 50% of patients with these CPAP machines don’t use them as prescribed. There are many reasons why people refuse to wear these masks, but all lead to the exact same conclusion: your sleep apnea is NOT being treated.
In the past several years, at-home sleep testing devices have taken over the apnea diagnosis game. Small and simple to use, these devices allow us to be properly diagnosed in our own comfortable sleep environment. They give us all the information we need.
Night guards that readjust the jaw to open the airway allow for significant improvement in quality of sleep, and reduced number of apnea incidents throughout the night. There are many brands of these oral appliances, but MicrO2 is the smallest and strongest we have found. Using digital scanning, the MicrO2 is custom-milled to provide optimal fit and comfort. Unlike many other apnea devices, MicrO2 doesn’t require adjustment or dealing with multiple pieces. As with anything new, it can take some time to get used to your device. The brain needs a solid month of consistent wear to become familiar with how it feels in your mouth. Soon you won’t even notice it.