Surbiton dentists offer expert advice about sleep apnea and heart failure

Sleep apnea is a debilitating condition that affects the sufferer’s ability to breath during sleep. It can have a major effect on the life of anyone who has it, leading to a greater likelihood of traffic accidents brought on by fatigue and I higher chance of heart failure.

There are two main types of sleep apnea: central apnea and obstructive apnea. In cases of central apnea, the brain fails to send the correct signal to keep the sufferer breathing during the night. Obstructive apnea involves the airway relaxing during the night and constricting the flow of air to the lungs. Any time of apnea results in patients having very poor and disrupted sleeping patterns because every time oxygen fails to reach the brain, a signal is sent to the body to wake up.

Dentists can help diagnosing sleep apnea because they have access to the part of the mouth that causes obstructive apnea. It is important that sleep apnea is dealt with adequately because there are strong links between apnea and heart failure.

In cases of obstructive apnea, hypertension results because of the poor sleep patterns and this can lead to heart failure. For central apnea patients, there is usually a severe underlying condition often linked to an unhealthy heart.

Sleep apnea and the risks of heart failure is just another reason to visit your Surbiton dentist every six months so that your mouth can be thoroughly examined. If your dentist is able to help diagnose obstructive apnea there are a number of devices that can be worn during sleep to relieve the effects of the condition. If the effects are relieved then the risks of heart failure decrease.