Not only can sleep apnea can have a serious impact on your ability to sleep, but it can disrupt your significant other’s quality of sleep as well. Avoid this nightly frustration by learning more about sleep apnea and how it can be treated.
The Effects of Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea can become a source of tension when you’re trying to fall asleep, but there’s far more to it than that. It goes beyond just losing sleep, as the mental and emotional effects are the real reason things can feel like they’re spiraling out of control.
Obstructive sleep apnea prevents you from sleeping, even though you may not notice it. The loosening of the muscles in your airways hundreds of times a night causes you to wake up for the briefest of moments.
The strains that sleep apnea put you under can raise the risk of hypertension, stroke and heart attack but the real danger is the psychological effect on both you and your spouse.
Sleep Apnea’s Psychological Impacts
The psychological effects of sleep apnea are extremely easy to misdiagnose. In some cases, you could wind up on antidepressants thinking something else entirely is happening to you. An entire slew of side effects start to happen when your brain has its light switch flicked on and off rapidly and relentlessly all night long including:
- Irritability: You’ll have problems keeping your cool when you’re running on empty.
- Memory: Being able to remember things suddenly becomes harder and a haze settles over details.
- Anxiety: Not being able to focus or feel refreshed after sleeping starts to cause an undercurrent of stress and fear.
- Depression: If you can’t focus, are performing poorly, and are on edge, you’ll start to doubt things you usually wouldn’t.
This doesn’t even touch on what your situation will do to your significant other. Loud snoring is one thing but deflecting frustrations, not being approachable, and always being tired is another thing entirely.
After enough sleepless nights with your moments of solace being spoiled by something you both don’t understand, it’s no wonder the foundations of your marriage can crumble. So how do you get things back to normal?
Sleep Apnea Treatments
The first thing you’ll want to do is get tested. An ear, nose and throat doctor can analyze you while you sleep and look in to the level your sleep apnea is at. For some, the problem is marginal but others have more severe cases.
Treatments vary from small oral appliances to shift the position of your jaw to the well-known CPAP Machine that helps keep your airways filled and circulated. However, in some cases the structure of your throat actually has to change. Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty or UPPP involves a surgical procedure to change the structure of your airway.
Do You Suffer from Debilitating Snoring or Think You May Have Sleep Apnea?
Given the fact that snoring can disrupt your partner, you should seek help as soon as possible. Dr. Nguyen has over a decade of experience in treating sleep apnea, and ensures that the most effective solution is chosen. With state-of-the-art equipment and the latest treatments, snoring and sleep apnea can usually be treated in the office, with minimal pain or recovery. Contact us or fill out our assessment form at the right, and start sleeping better!
