Sleep apnoea affects millions of people.
It can cause a host of health concerns, but here at TMJ Centre Melbourne our range of care can give you back your ability to sleep well and function at your best during the day. As dedicated specialists of the jaw, face, head and neck we are uniquely placed to provide you with effective treatments for sleep apnoea and snoring. We are also different from any other TMJ clinics in the sense that we combine the sciences of dentistry and chiropractic to help you achieve the very best outcome for your sleep apnoea treatment.
Our team of doctors at sleep apnoea clinic Melbourne have combined for over 50 years of experience and provide comprehensive care for a range of TMJ concerns including the symptoms of sleep apnoea. It is our multifaceted approach that allows this, offering a holistic solution to your sleep apnoea concerns to have you back to your best. Dr Shah and our TMJ chiropractor quickly realised that by working in tandem to treat patients they were able to provide faster, more effective relief to patients who were suffering from TMJ related problems.
So, what is sleep apnoea?
Sleep apnoea is what happens when your breathing is stopped or interrupted for long periods while you sleep or indeed that you are breathing efficiently enough. When sleep apnoea is allowed to develop unchecked, it can cause daytime fatigue, a lack of focus and in some cases even high blood pressure, depression and a far higher chance of suffering from a stroke or heart disease. While snoring is one of the hallmark symptoms of sleep apnoea, it is also the one that is most commonly dismissed.
But it is this snoring that leads to the more severe possibilities that may include a thickening of the arteries responsible for taking blood to your brain and thus an increase in the likelihood of vascular disease. So contrary to common misconceptions, snoring may, in fact, be a sign of more serious health concerns and this is exactly why we take it so seriously.
What are the symptoms of sleep apnoea?
Snoring not only affects your sleep but that of your partner as well and impairs your ability to function during the day. Snoring is the major tell-tale sign of sleep apnoea and can be enough to ruin the intimacy in any relationship. Sleep apnoea, also known as obstructive sleep apnoea, is caused by an obstruction in your upper airway and can cause some very serious health concerns if left untreated. The most surreal thing about sleep apnoea is that because it happens while you sleep you are much less aware of its prevalence than those around you. They will also be able to shed light on the common symptoms of sleep apnoea which includes loud snoring and choking.
However, there are a number of sleep apnoea symptoms that you may be able to identify on your own such as frequent feelings of sleepiness or fatigue during the day, restless sleep, repeatedly waking up during the night, feeling out of breath of tired first thing in the morning and waking up with headaches. If you recognise any of these symptoms, then we urge you to get in touch as soon as you are able.
What causes sleep apnoea?
Sleep apnoea is most commonly caused by an obstruction in your throat and when you sleep the muscles that relax become more so than usual which causes the soft tissue around your neck to collapse and block your airway. Poor posture can also affect your throat muscles and put added pressure on your airway by forcing your jaw back in such a way that makes it increasingly difficult to draw proper breath.
Another cause of sleep apnoea and snoring is an obstruction of your nose and the base of your tongue which will need to be properly diagnosed in order for us to successfully treat it.
To find out more about our sleep apnoea treatments at clinic in Melbourne, or to make an appointment with us, please click here.