Two Types of Sleep Apnea

Sleep Apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts. There are two main types of sleep apnea: obstructive sleep apnea, the more common form that occurs when throat muscles relax, and central sleep apnea, which occurs when your brain doesn’t send proper signals to the muscles that control breathing. Here at Shoal Creek Prosthodontic Group, Dr. Fredrick Shaw utilizes oral surgery to help assist with sleep apnea.

When obstructive sleep apnea occurs, the muscles relax, your airway narrows or closes as you breathe in, and you can’t get an adequate breath in. Your brain senses this inability to breathe and briefly rouses you from sleep so you can reopen your airway. You may make a snorting, choking or gasping sound. When central sleep apnea occurs, you may awaken with shortness of breath or have a difficult time getting to sleep or staying asleep. Like with obstructive sleep apnea, snoring and daytime sleepiness can occur.

If you have sleep apnea, please give us a call to discuss your treatment options. To learn more about Shoal Creek Prosthodontic Group in Austin, TX, call us at 512-451-7491 or visit our website, www.fredrickshawdds.com.