Why Sleep Apnea Treatment is Important for Long-Term Health

Posted: April 23, 2020

Untreated sleep apnea can cause or aggravate other health issues. Therefore, discuss your treatment options by visiting our sleep apnea clinic.  Some common symptoms of sleep apnea that you may notice are daytime fatigue, loud snoring, and low libido. Sleep apnea can not only lead to these life-altering symptoms, but it may also be linked with other dangerous conditions. If you think you have sleep apnea, our sleep apnea clinic can help. Our board-certified sleep physician can help diagnose and treat your sleep apnea.

If you think you have sleep apnea, you should visit your sleep apnea clinic for treatment. CPAP therapy may help improve erectile dysfunction, cardiovascular complications, and cognitive function.

There are several long-term effects of sleep apnea that can disrupt your life. With proper treatment, many people notice improved sleep quality and overall health. Additionally, treatment may help with other conditions related to your sleep apnea. There are many important benefits of sleep apnea treatment, and our sleep apnea clinic can help you optimize your health by creating a customized treatment plan for your sleep apnea and other conditions.

What is Sleep Apnea? Why Should I Visit a Sleep Apnea Clinic?

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that causes you to stop breathing for seconds or minutes while you sleep. This can disrupt your sleep, as well as deprive your vital organs of oxygen during the night. Sleep apnea sufferers often experience daytime fatigue, morning headaches, and low libido.

Obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea are the two basic types of sleep apnea. When your airway relaxes, it can become blocked and cause you to stop breathing. This is called obstructive sleep apnea. By contrast, central sleep apnea occurs when your brain stops sending signals to the muscles responsible for respiration. You can also experience complex sleep apnea, also known as mixed sleep apnea, which means you have both obstructive and central sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea treatment often combines CPAP therapy with lifestyle changes to help you breathe better while you sleep. One of the first steps to treatment for your unwanted symptoms is to visit our sleep apnea clinic for diagnosis. We offer several convenient home sleep test options to fit your lifestyle. These tests allow you to sleep in your own bed with minimally invasive monitoring equipment that collects information about your sleep patterns. Then, our sleep doctor will analyze your data to diagnose you with sleep apnea. Afterwards, our sleep team will create a customized treatment plan based on your specific circumstances.

Those with sleep apnea often experience warning signs like loud snoring, waking up at night choking or gasping, and waking up frequently during the night to urinate. Also, sleep apnea can cause several undesirable symptoms, including mood changes, fatigue, and a decreased sex drive. Sleep apnea treatment can help ease these symptoms and help with the longer-term effects of sleep apnea. Therefore, it’s important to seek help if you think you have sleep apnea.

Risks of Untreated Sleep Apnea

Untreated sleep apnea can lead to chronically interrupted sleep, as well as intermittent oxygen deprivation. This can negatively impact your health and lifestyle. Additionally, studies link sleep apnea to several other conditions. For example, many of those with sleep apnea experience depressive and anxiety disorders, poor memory and cognitive function, cardiovascular disease, and may be at a higher risk for heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

Sleep apnea sufferers are often misdiagnosed with clinical depression, as they may feel tired, irritable, and generally unwell. If you’re experiencing these symptoms, our sleep apnea clinic can help find the underlying cause, whether it is sleep apnea or something else. Our sleep doctors create customized treatment plans for our patients, which means you can begin sleep apnea treatment that is individualized to your needs and lifestyle.

A sleep apnea treatment plan may include lifestyle changes and CPAP therapy to help keep your airways open during sleep. These proven treatments can help you feel better. Once you start your treatment plan, you might even engage in activities you may currently avoid. It’s difficult to take part in things when sleep apnea leaves you feeling exhausted. Therefore, sleep apnea treatment may help you find the energy to participate in a marathon, take a long bike ride, or any other pursuit you have been putting off.

Benefits of CPAP Therapy

Continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, therapy, is the golden standard for sleep apnea treatment. CPAP devices help prevent your airway from narrowing during sleep. Many men on CPAP therapy notice improved energy and concentration, so they often feel like they can do more and perform better at work and other activities.

CPAP therapy may also help with many of the other risks of sleep apnea. For example, studies show that CPAP therapy may help sleep apnea sufferers with cardiovascular issues, erectile dysfunction, and cognitive decline. Additionally, if you have difficult-to-treat hypertension, CPAP sleep apnea treatment may be able to help. Nearly 70% of people with hard-to-treat high blood pressure suffer from sleep apnea. There also may be a link to a decreased risk of stroke for sleep apnea sufferers who use CPAP devices.

CPAP therapy offers many benefits for sleep apnea sufferers. Therefore, it’s important to ensure that you wear your device nightly. We offer you the option to try on several types of mask in our office to find the one that works best for you. You can even lie down in a private room wearing the masks to ensure maximum comfort. We want to set you up for success and help you find the most practical solutions for your CPAP therapy.

In addition, your CPAP device will send data to our sleep team so we can adjust your treatment plan as needed to treat your symptoms and help your sleep apnea. For example, if we notice that you aren’t using your device, we may reach out to discuss why and how we can help you get back on track with your sleep apnea treatment. Additionally, we can remotely adjust the pressure as needed for your treatment plan.

Common CPAP problems

While sleep apnea is easily treatable, many patients simply don’t follow their CPAP treatment plan. For the best results, you should use your device every night, unless otherwise instructed by your physician. Your device should be comfortable, easy to use, and shouldn’t disrupt your ability to sleep at night.

There are a few reasons people often cite for the reason they aren’t using their CPAP therapy as they should. Most of the time, this is because they are using the wrong CPAP mask. For example, if you notice dry mouth after using your CPAP device, you may sleep with your mouth open. If this is the case, you may need a full-face mask or a chin strap to help keep your mouth closed to alleviate dry mouth.

We want to help you feel better and set you up for success with your CPAP therapy. Therefore, if you ever have any concerns or questions, the doctors at our sleep apnea clinic are here to help. At our sleep apnea clinic, we can assist you with proper mask fitting for your CPAP therapy, as well as discuss different sleep apnea treatment options that will make the most sense for you.

If you are experiencing daytime tiredness, loud snoring, and low libido, make an online appointment with the Low T Center today. As a comprehensive men’s clinic, we can help you address symptoms related to a variety of conditions, from sleep apnea to low testosterone. Our physicians are here to help you feel better.

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Disclaimer: This article is made available for general, entertainment and educational purposes only. The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of Low T Center. You should always seek the advice of a licensed healthcare professional.