DR. BENJAMIN POLAN CURES RELATIONSHIP PROBLEMS DUE TO SLEEP DISORDERS IN BEVERLY, MA

Chronic crankiness and fatigue can steadily kill any relationship. Sleep deprivation often leads to relationship problems as there’s no fun in being with someone with low energy and high irritability. If the grouchy couch potato snores a lot as well, obstructive sleep apnea may be the problem.

Obstructive sleep apnea is a disorder that interrupts breathing repeatedly during sleep. Sleep apnea produces impulses from the brain to awaken the sleeper just enough to restart respiration. The sleep disorder apnea is not rare as one in five adults has a mild to moderate case. Incessant snoring strongly indicates sleep apnea and should be examined by a physician.

Sleep apnea is a key factor in depression, irritability, sexual impotence, memory problems, and drowsiness. Ultimately, the patient is at their worst during the daytime making them unfit for the balance required in an intimate relationship.

The problem is not beyond repair

For mild to moderate sleep apnea, oral appliance therapy is recommended by the American Sleep Apnea association as a first line treatment. An experienced sleep dentist such as Dr. Benjamin Polan in Beverly, MA takes impressions of the teeth to custom fit an oral appliance to the patient’s exact bite. The oral appliance is then made to these specifications at an FDA approved lab before being sent back to the dentist. The appliance ensures that placement in the mouth holds the lower jaw in place and moves the tongue forward by elevating the soft palate and keeping the tongue from falling back into the airway. Oral appliances are excellent for patients who fail other treatment attempts, though they should have regular office visits with their pulmonologists or sleep physicians to monitor treatment maintenance and symptoms.

Lifestyle changes can mitigate sleep apnea symptoms.

Many overweight patients have managed to cure sleep apnea by losing excess weight. The CPAP air-pressure mask only treats the symptom; weight loss can potentially fully cure it. Alcohol should be avoided because it causes frequent nocturnal arousals and relaxes upper throat muscles, and B narrows the airway and aggravates apnea and snoring. Ironically, sedatives prescribed for insomnia can relax throat muscles and worsen airway obstruction. Sleeping on the side rather than the back helps some patients with mild sleep apnea.

Regular, restful sleep that recharges and reinvigorates the body and mind for the physical, mental, and emotional challenges of life is an absolute necessity for good health, which in turn is necessary for the life of good, healthy relationships. Relationships are living things that thrive in happy times and wither from abuse and neglect.

Anyone aware of frequent snoring, especially if made aware by partner’s complaints, may suffer from symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea and should consult a dental sleep doctor like Dr. Benjamin Polan in Beverly, MA without delay to discuss treatment.