7 Ways Sleep Apnea Can Affect Your Quality of Life

As a sleep apnea dentist office, we understand the importance of getting a good night sleep.  If you constantly feel tired or overly fatigued, we encourage you to visit our Silver Spring, MD dental office.  At Lee Dentistry, we can help you to improve your quality of life by improving your quality of sleep.  To learn more, call (301) 605-1123.  It is easy to schedule an appointment but if you are still wondering whether or not you should come in, consider these 7 ways sleep apnea can affect your quality of life.

Sleep apnea can…

1. Make you snore loudly.  This can cause you to wake up in the middle of the night due to your snoring, choking or gasping sounds.  Your spouse may also have difficulty sleeping, putting a strain on your relationship.
2. Cause you to fall asleep while driving.  This is the biggest safety concern.  As a sleep apnea dentist, we know that the risk of falling asleep unexpectedly is very real and that it can lead to sudden accidents. This is not something you want to happen when navigating Silver Spring traffic.
3. Make you miss out on family gatherings.  If you are constantly feeling fatigued, you may have difficulty staying up past dinner, much less getting together with friends and family.
4. Raise your blood pressure.  A lack of sleep and a decrease in oxygen can cause your blood sugar to rise, putting you at risk for other health problems.
5. Lower your immune system.  Studies by Harvard and other medical institutions have found that a chronic lack of sleep can lead to a compromised immune system.  As a sleep apnea dentist, we know that with a poor immune system you are more likely to suffer from every cold that you encounter.
6. Make it difficult to control your blood sugar.  Sleep apnea has been linked to spikes in blood sugar.  If you are already pre-diabetic or diabetic, this is not a risk you can afford to take.
7. Cause you to feel exhausted.  Being tired is one thing but exhaustion takes it to a whole new level.  When you do not get enough oxygen during sleep, you could become too fatigued to engage in normal daily activities, severely limiting your quality of life.

As a Silver Spring, MD sleep apnea dentist, we can treat your sleep apnea so that you can begin to enjoy life again.  To schedule an appointment with our 20902 dental office, call (301) 605-1123.