When Sleep Apnea Occurs Only when Falling Asleep
Why is it that the only apnea episodes that awaken you are seemingly only those that occur just as you’re falling asleep?
Five Things Never to Say to Someone with Sleep Apnea
Being prepped for a sleep study.
Here are 5 things that you should never say to someone who has sleep apnea – which, by the way, you yourself might have!
After all, sleep apnea is one of the most underdiagnosed medical conditions.
There are countless cases of people who go years with untreated symptoms until finally the correct diagnosis is made. (more…)
Why You Can’t Fully Open Mouth After Wisdom Teeth Removal
For some people who will undergo wisdom teeth removal, they will find that opening their mouth fully following the procedure will be problematic, while others will not have this problem.
“The inability to open the mouth fully after wisdom tooth removal is usually due to the stretching of the muscles and ligaments of the face during the extraction,” explains Guy M. Hanson, DDS, MBA, MAGD, Academy of General Dentistry.
“Since the wisdom teeth are the teeth furthest back in the mouth, it is often necessary to open the mouth wider than normal in order to access them. Many individuals do not experience this issue.”
For the days following the removal of your wisdom teeth, you will be instructed not to eat solid foods.
In fact, you’ll be permitted only beverages like water and juice, and broth soups in the days immediately following the extraction.
So you don’t have to worry about not being able to fully open your mouth during the first week.
The situation is temporary. Think of it as sore muscles from a workout. They will need their rest and will recover. Wisdom teeth removal
Dr. Hanson retired in 2014 after practicing dentistry for 35 years at the former Idaho Dental Wellness Center.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/marinafrost
How Normal Is Pain Two Weeks After Wisdom Teeth Removal?
“It is not uncommon for a wisdom tooth extraction site to be uncomfortable for several weeks,” explains Guy M. Hanson, DDS, MBA, MAGD, Academy of General Dentistry.
“The discomfort should diminish on a continual basis,” says Dr. Hanson.
“The discomfort is usually in proportion to the amount of tissue damage experienced during the extraction procedure.
“If bone is removed, the discomfort period is longer than if no bone is removed.
“If an incision is made and sutures placed, the discomfort will usually last longer than if no incision was made.”
You will receive instructions for postoperative care including for how long to avoid solid food, and how to manage the pain with medications.
Dr. Hanson retired in 2014 after practicing dentistry for 35 years at the former Idaho Dental Wellness Center.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/GlebSStock
Flu-Like Symptoms After Wisdom Teeth Removal: Cause, Solution
Following the removal of wisdom teeth, the patient may end up with symptoms resembling the flu, confining them to bed. (more…)
The Worst Possible Outcome of Wisdom Teeth Removal ?
The worst possible thing that could happen to you as a result of wisdom teeth removal will shock the daylights out of you.
“The worst possible outcome of wisdom tooth removal is death,” says Guy M. Hanson, DDS, MBA, MAGD, Academy of General Dentistry. (more…)
What Causes Acne to Be Worse on One Side of the Face?
If you think your acne is worse on one side of your face, you’re probably right.
This can definitely happen, and it has more than one cause.
“Acne can appear to be worse on one side of the face when it is due to occlusion from a cell phone or resting your hand on that side of the face, as well as the dirt and grease that are harbored on those things,” says Estee Williams, MD, a board certified medical, cosmetic and surgical dermatologist and assistant clinical professor in dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center.
Itchy, Swollen and Peeling Eyelids: Causes and Solutions
“When eyelids are itchy and swollen or peeling, this usually indicates an underlying allergic reaction to a product that’s coming into contact with the skin,” explains Estee Williams, MD, a board certified medical, cosmetic and surgical dermatologist and assistant clinical professor in dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center. (more…)
Why Can’t Supplemental Oxygen Alone Treat Sleep Apnea?
Are you wondering why supplemental oxygen rather than a CPAP machine isn’t enough to treat sleep apnea? (more…)
Why Are So Many People Getting Diagnosed with Sleep Apnea?
Is it just your imagination or are there rashes of sleep apnea diagnoses cropping up all over the place?
Is sleep apnea the new “in” disease or do tens of millions of Americans really have it?
You probably know at least five people who’ve been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea.
Perhaps you’ve also noticed a new “sleep center” facility in your neighborhood and are wondering, “What’s UP with all this?”
Why It Seems Everyone Is Getting Diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Increased awareness. If you have not been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea, but know someone who has, this is enough to increase your awareness.
It’s akin to the phenomenon of noticing that everyone is driving a particular model of car – only after you’ve purchased that car!
Increased awareness by the medical community. Medicine is not finite. Doctors and researchers are always learning something new.
A new discovery does not mean a “fad” or “in” disease just to make money.
Illusion of Sleep Apnea Being a New Disease
“Sleep apnea has been around for a very long time, but wasn’t given its official name until the late 20th century,” says J. Mark Anderson, MD, DABFM, of Executive Medicine of Texas and who is board certified in family medicine.
What OSA used to be regarded as:
• “Prior to sleep apnea being widely recognized, people who died of sleep apnea were often just assumed that they died in their sleep of natural causes, or if elderly, of old age,” says Dr. Anderson.
• “His snoring rattled the windows.” Dr. Anderson says, “Most people who snore, a symptom of sleep apnea, are often undiagnosed sufferers of sleep apnea.”
• “Her snoring was mixed with snorts and gasps.”
• “She’s always been such a sleepyhead.”
• “It’s stress; it’ll fatigue you and give you headaches.”
• “He’s just overworked; too much overtime, not enough vacation time.”
• “Of course she needs 12 hours of sleep a day; she has a three-year-old, a two-year-old and a six-month-old.”
Dr. Anderson explains, “While sleep apnea is underdiagnosed, the number of reported cases are on the rise.
“Perhaps this is due to a number of famous people dying of the condition,” such as Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
The symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea have always been around. Other symptoms include irritability and trouble concentrating, not to mention falling asleep easily when immobile or inactive.
Just because the cause of these symptoms for some patients has been discovered doesn’t mean that OSA was created for profit.
Some naysayers will point out that sleep centers are cropping up everywhere and are run by doctors for profit.
- Well gee, who should run a sleep center, an auto mechanic?
- A florist?
- Don’t you think that a specialized medical center should be run by a doctor?
As for the profit, medical centers are businesses, just like dental and veterinary centers are businesses.
Just like the guy you go to for a car repair wants your money. Profit does not mean fad or fraud.
Though a lab sleep study can run up to $3,000, this does not invalidate the existence of obstructive sleep apnea.
A sleep study will not miss events of stopped or disordered breathing.
Otherwise, that’s like saying cancer is a fad disease because treatment is so expensive. Or that root canals aren’t necessary because they’re so pricey.
Medicine Continues to Evolve
Obstructive sleep apnea was identified around 1980. That makes its identification, not existence, relatively new. Newly identified and classified should not invalidate prior existence.
“Considerable progress has been made over the last several decades in our understanding of the pathophysiology of both central and obstructive sleep apnea.” – American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (Dec. 2005)
You can bet that years from now there will be an identification of a new medical condition that’s been around for ages.
It’s just that today, doctors and researchers have not made that particular discovery.
Increase in Sleep Apnea Diagnoses: Reasons
• Increased awareness, pamphlets, campaigns, etc.
• More sleep labs and home sleep study equipment available
• Dr. Anderson points out, “The cases of sleep apnea are on the rise mostly due to the change in body composition across the country.
Shutterstock/JAOWFAH
“Obesity is at an all time high, causing a rise also in the cases of sleep apnea. The two are connected because fat deposition around the upper airway can cause the obstruction that leads to sleep apnea.”
Have you heard of the “sitting disease”? This, too, has been brandished as a fad disease for profit. Gee, perhaps doctors are in cohoots with the treadmill desk companies?
Really, do you actually believe that all the diseases that can possibly affect people should have been identified 100 years ago?
Look at smoking. There was a time when smoking was deemed safe. We now know the truth.
But the truth was just as much truth a hundred years ago when some doctors were recommending that harried patients smoke to calm their nerves.
Obesity was once deemed a status symbol rather than a health hazard.
But as time marches on, doctors and researchers gain new knowledge. This is what’s happening with sleep apnea.
“Although OSA is a relatively common medical condition, it is believed that more than 85% of patients with clinically significant OSA have never been diagnosed,” says a report in The Ochsner Journal (fall 2009).
So if you think everybody and his brother has sleep apnea, they probably do.
Obstructive sleep apnea remains as one of the most misdiagnosed and underdiagnosed medical conditions.
Dr. Anderson is coauthor of the award-winning book, “Stay Young: 10 Proven Steps to Ultimate Health,” and host of the nationally syndicated Staying Young Show which goes to podcast as Staying Young Show 2.0.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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