Helping Texas Correct Sleep-Disordered BreathingDo You Snore? It Might Be Sleep Apnea!

Helping Texas Correct Sleep-Disordered Breathing

Almost everyone has heard the term “sleep apnea,” but there are many more conditions related to your sleep and your breathing than just apnea. These conditions are grouped under the term “sleep-disordered breathing.” Sleep-disordered breathing – from snoring to severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea – can be hazardous to your health, contributing to anything from heart attacks and strokes to weight gain and depression.

  • Snoring

    Snoring is one of the primary – and most noticeable – signs of a nighttime breathing problem. Although it is loud and can disturb anyone trying to sleep nearby, snoring has more than social implications. Chronic, loud snoring disturbs sleep and can therefore lead to fatigue and daytime drowsiness. However, snoring can also indicate a more serious condition. If you are experiencing daytime sleepiness, chronic fatigue, morning headache, irritability, impaired memory and judgment, and mood disturbance, more than sound may be disturbing you. Loud snoring can be a signal that something is seriously wrong with your breathing during sleep. Your snoring, coupled with these symptoms could be an indicator of sleep apnea.

  • Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome

    UARSUpper Airway Resistance Syndrome is defined as an obstructive sleep breathing disorder in which repetitive increases in resistance to airflow in the upper airway lead to arousals from restful sleep and daytime fatigue. While UARS patients do not stop breathing completely, they do experience airway resistance, difficulty breathing and some snoring. Worse, many patients do not realize they have it and as a result, never seek treatment. While daytime sleepiness and nighttime grinding of teeth are two of the primary symptoms of UARS, it can also lead to health issues such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and reflux.

  • Sleep Apnea and Obstructive Sleep Apnea

    Sleep Apnea and Obstructive Sleep ApneaIf you are experiencing daytime sleepiness, chronic fatigue, morning headache, irritability, impaired memory and judgment, and mood disturbance, more than sound may be disturbing you. Loud snoring, when followed by a cessation of breath and loud gasping, is a clear indicator of sleep apnea. Amazingly, people with severe sleep apnea can stop breathing as many as eighty times an hour and never realize they are doing it.

Sleep apnea is a very serious condition.

It causes a drop in blood oxygen levels, which places stress on your heart and raises blood pressure. Sleep apnea also keeps you from properly entering REM sleep, the most restorative stage of nightly sleep.

Because of this, a variety of symptoms can develop, including:

  • Heart Attack
  • Stroke
  • High Blood Pressure
  • Restlessness While Sleeping
  • Nighttime Sweating
  • Nighttime Chest Pain
  • Memory Problems

  • Difficulty Concentrating
  • ADD and ADHD
  • Depression/Mood Swings
  • Weight Gain
  • Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue
  • Grinding/Wear of Teeth

Healthy Sleep Texas Can Help You Get Your Rest and Find Total Health
Our treatment options are comprehensive and multifaceted to help you find deep and restful sleep for total, lasting health and vitality.
Coordinated treatment options include:

Oral Appliance Therapy


Oral Appliance Therapy is a natural and generally comfortable way to treat sleep apnea and help you stop snoring. This device works with the structure of your throat and jaw, opening and clearing the air passages.

How does it work? One of the most common problems in sleep apnea and snoring is that the base of the tongue collapses against the airway, obstructing it and making breathing difficult. The oral appliance we offer consists of a easy to use Mandibular Advancement Splint (MAS) that attaches to your teeth and brings the jaw forward. Since your tongue is attached to your jaw, it also comes forward, opening up the back of the throat.

CPAP Machine


The most common treatment for Obstructive Sleep Apnea is a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine. The CPAP helps maintain the integrity of the airway by pushing air into a mask most commonly worn over the nose and mouth. The air pressure keeps the airways open at night and allows free breathing. Essentially fresh air is forced into your nose and mouth to keep your breathing free and your body oxygenated.

Some patients have a difficult time acclimating to their CPAP, primarily because of mask discomfort or noise. There are a number of CPAP machines and mask types available and we will work diligently with you to get the most comfortable CPAP. Be sure to give yourself some time to get used to the machine – most of our patients acclimate after a few days of use and feel better than ever!

Behavior Modification


With behavior modification, we can help you develop better sleep hygiene – or sleep habits and behaviors – for better and longer rest. We will work with you to break bad sleep habits and make suggestions for behaviors that promote your healthiest sleep.

These therapies might include “positional therapy” designed to help you learn to sleep on your side. Side sleeping keeps your airway from collapsing as much and maintaining its integrity. Talk to us – we can help you design your personal sleep therapy behavior modification program and routine.

Surgical Options


If you continue to have severe sleep apnea problems, even with our non-invasive therapies, you may be a good candidate for upper airway surgery. If all other alternatives fail, Healthy Sleep Texas can refer you to a trusted otolaryngologist (ENT). Tonsil removal is highly recommended for children who suffer from sleep apnea or other sleep disorders. However, the most successful surgery option for Obstructive Sleep Apnea is the permanent advancement of the lower jaw to open the airway. Orthognathic surgery is the most successful surgery option for Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Whatever your sleep-disordered breathing needs are, Healthy Sleep Texas will develop an individualized treatment plan to help you start enjoying life to the fullest.

Take our sleep apnea self-assessment quiz and Schedule your appointment today!
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