The word apnea comes from the Greek roots a and pnea. " a " means without and " pnea " means breathing. A patient with a lung infection has pnemonia. Apnea means without breathing. There are three types of sleep apnea:

               Obstructive Sleep Apnea
               Central Sleep Apnea
               Mixed Sleep Apnea

           A patient with any type of sleep apnea stops breathing a number of times while sleeping. It's like dying several times a night and can sometimes occur hundreds of time each night for as long as a minute. Each time the sleep apnea patient stops breathing, the sleep apnea patient's brain gets alarmed and arouses the patient so as to start breathing again. The patient does not wake up but these constant alarms ruin the sleep apnea patient's sleep quality.

loud snoring                            obesity                                morning headaches                   gasping for air while asleep
not breathing while asleep         anxiety                                 irritability & short temper
lack of concentration                forgetfulness                        disorientation at awakening
loss of sexual interest                waking up gasping for air      sleep sweating
dry mouth upon awakening      heartburn                            frequent urination at night
insomnia                                 depression, mood and/or behavioral changes trouble staying awake during the day

          If you have sleep apnea and would like to consult with a sleep apnea dentist, please call and make an appointment at 404-874-7428.