Sleep apnea causes repeated pauses in breathing during sleep, and many people don't know they have it. If you wake up as tired as when you went to bed, snore loudly, or have been told you stop breathing at night, it is worth getting checked. Untreated sleep apnea has been linked to high blood pressure, heart disease, memory problems and daytime drowsiness. Call (248) 645-5222 to talk to the dentist about your symptoms.
Warning signs
Symptoms of Sleep Apnea
Loud snoring
Pauses in breathing during sleep
Choking or gasping at night
Waking suddenly to catch your breath
Daytime sleepiness
Falling asleep at the wrong times
Trouble concentrating
Dry mouth or sore throat in the morning
Irritability
Night sweats
High blood pressure
Erectile dysfunction
Types
The Four Types of Sleep Apnea
Obstructive (OSA)
The most common type. Throat tissues relax and block the airway as you breathe in.
Central
A rare type in which the brain briefly stops signaling the breathing muscles.
Mixed
A combination of obstructive and central sleep apnea.
Complex
Apnea that continues even after the physical blockage has been treated.
Risk factors
What Makes Sleep Apnea More Likely
Extra weight, which adds soft tissue around the airway
Nasal congestion and drinking alcohol
The shape of the jaw, face and airway
Enlarged tonsils and adenoids, the most common cause in children
Getting older, as the throat muscles lose tone
Diagnosis
How It Is Diagnosed
Diagnosis starts with your medical and sleep history and a physical check, such as neck size and tonsils. A sleep study, in which your breathing is monitored overnight, confirms whether you have sleep apnea and how severe it is.
Transcript
[Music] I snore yeah see I don't know if I snore cuz I don't hear myself so oh he hears himself cuz sometimes it wakes him up and he's like baby was I snoring yeah you were snoring it usually happens when he's on his back and then he will just he gets into that deep snore like the I mean it's deep then he stops his chest was sto moving and everything like he just like he was not breathing so I nudged him like babe wake up and then he'd catch his breath I'm like dude you just stopped breathing in your sleep and I saved [Music] him Pam's a registered polysomnographic technician a poly what polysomnographic means sleep steady she'll be the one putting the electrodes in sleep apnea actually is a pretty common condition in which is most likely under diagnosed and underevaluated because many people don't realize that they have it well every time I st breathing she you know the next morning yeah sleep apnea yeah sleep apnea I'm like what is sleep apnea well sleep apne is a condition where a person is unable to get air into their lungs when they fall asleep every time the person stops breathing they wake up they stop breathing they wake up and that exposes the body to a myriad of really adverse stresses and that does have consequences irritability can't focus and maintain attention they're unable to sleep in the same bedroom with their bed partner or spouse about a Sevenfold increased risk of motor vehicle accidents it's linked with the Obesity epidemic to being linked with cardiovascular or heart disease High rates of stroke diabetes and even mortality and so now so now we got to fix it don't want to go out like that let you so Shaq one of the things that uh we meeting with the sleep doctor my main man Dr C you know he said he wanted me to be part of his sleep study we arranged for an overnight recording in which we could actually find out whether Mr O'Neal has sleep up now so tonight electrodes on the head and you know they're going to study the brain waves hopefully my my RMS and my nonm see I read that my rapid eye movements oh and the end is the what n rapid eye movement so you know hopefully uh I don't have it but if I do have it you know I know I'm working with the best people to you know get it cured you all ready to go to sleep yes sir okay good luck with everything we'll be here monitoring so the evaluation of sleep apnea is test while they're asleep then every second of the study will be looked at then the physician will interpret and make a conclusion to cut to the chase you have moderate sleep apnea here obstructive sleep apnea is a chronic condition which is imminently treatable right so you said there's the mask the mouthpiece and surgery correct the treatment of choice as of today for sleep apy is to go ahead with with nasal sleep app the mask and is this forever treatment or just a six we thing we we generally regard this as lifelong treatment getting a mask to fit effectively is often a cardinal part of effective treatment you have a mask here that I can look at if a person's able to use the CPAP device it works almost 100% of the time no yeah this is yeah this is pretty good this is nice I like it can I wear it to the club yeah absolutely oh this is nice okay I like it I'll do it since I've met with Dr C and you know I've been getting at least 7even 8 n hours of sleep a day feel good the weight is good got a lot of energy the relationship is good I house everything is working
Treatment
Treating Sleep Apnea
Oral appliances
For mild to moderate sleep apnea, a custom-fitted dental appliance helps keep the airway open while you sleep.
CPAP
A machine that delivers gentle air pressure through a mask to keep the airway from collapsing.
Lifestyle changes
Losing weight and changing sleep position are often enough for milder cases.
Medication
Nasal steroid sprays can help when nasal blockage is the cause.
Questions
Sleep Apnea FAQs
Why see a dentist about sleep apnea?
Dentists often spot signs during routine exams, and an oral appliance has to be custom fitted by a dentist to work properly.
Is snoring the same as sleep apnea?
No. Many people snore without sleep apnea, but loud snoring with pauses or gasping is a common warning sign.
What happens if it isn't treated?
Untreated sleep apnea raises the risk of high blood pressure, heart failure and stroke, and daytime tiredness increases the risk of accidents.
Sleep Apnea was last modified: November 11th, 2026 by Dr. Rohit Arora
