Carlsbad, Ca Holistic Dentist Offers Natural Cures For Sleep Apnea

Do you snore chronically, loudly, and erratically? Snore often or have insomnia? Wake with a dry throat or headache? Are you tired during the day, forgetful, or moody? You may have sleep-disordered breathing, making you two and a half times more likely to cause a motor vehicle accident than those who sleep peacefully. You are also at increased risk of heart attack, stroke, depression, anxiety, obesity, and other grave health issues. Maybe you have tried conventional cures for sleep apnea without success, or simply want a natural approach to better sleep. Dr. Al A. Fallah in Carlsbad, CA can help.

A NATURAL SOLUTION

Have you wondered, “can sleep apnea be cured naturally?” You aren’t alone. Many individuals seeking non-CPAP sleep apnea cures in Carlsbad, CA make their way to Dr. Fallah’s office.

Oral appliance therapy can be an alternative to a CPAP machine. The appliance holds the mouth slightly open and the jaw forwards to keep the airway temporarily clear. Dr. Fallah instead recommends DNA appliance therapy. The DNA or mRNA appliance takes an entirely different approach. Known as epigenetic orthodontics, this FDA-approved treatment corrects the source of your narrowed airway. Worn from evening until morning, it gently allows the body to expand the size of the upper arch. This increases nasal airway volume and reduces mouth breathing. By providing both maxilla (upper jaw) and mandibular correction, the proper bite is also restored.

WHY WE NEED RESTFUL SLEEP

Understanding the gravity of sleep apnea helps to start at the beginning – why we need to sleep. When you stop moving, muscles and skeletal structure relax, and that is beneficial. However, true regeneration at a cellular level requires deep sleep.

Physical and mental stressors throughout the day place great demands on the body, depleting energy resources. The overarching purpose of sleep is to give the body a period of reduced energy expenditure. Metabolism plummets by as much as ten percent during sleep.

Hormones allow the body to replace cells at a rate of 50 to 70 billion per day, for protein synthesis and tissue repair. Essential hormones, including those that regulate glucose and appetite control, are released during deep sleep cycles. Other hormones are responsible for growth, and cerebral and muscle development. (This is why sleep apnea is especially damaging for children.)

During waking hours, cellular activity produces a by-product in the brain called adenosine, which makes you feel tired. Caffeine blocks the effect, but only temporarily. The brain needs rest to purge adenosine from the system, allowing you to feel alert in the morning.

Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to make cognitive connections from learning and experiences. Brain plasticity is not yet fully understood, but we know through deprivation studies that sleep plays a critical role in how the brain organizes and structures that data.

THE DESTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA CYCLE

Normal, healthy sleep follows this general pattern:

• EM sleep represents about 75 percent of total sleep time. It begins with the transition from wakefulness to light sleep.
• It progresses to disengagement from surroundings, and regulated breathing and heart rate.
• Body temperature drops, then blood pressure follows.
• Breathing slows and muscles relax. Blood supply to muscles increases, and tissue repair begins.
• Energy is restored during EM sleep.
• REM sleep occurs about 90 minutes after you drop off, and repeats at about 90-minute intervals, with each period getting longer.
• The brain is active during REM.
• This sleep phase sends energy to the body and brain, and it supports daytime brain function.

For a person with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the healthy pattern of sleep is interrupted, potentially dozens of times each hour. As you relax into EM sleep, tissues at the back of the mouth and the tongue collapse toward the throat. This condition is commonly the result of malocclusion – bite problems that affect the jaw, and head and neck position.

The airway is the path that air takes into and out of the lungs, through the mouth and nose. As the airway becomes blocked or partially obstructed by soft tissues, air cannot reach the lungs efficiently. Breathing becomes shallow or stops completely. Oxygen levels in the blood plunge. Your brain senses danger, sending a flood of adrenalin to support your fight or flight response. Your body jerks and you choke or snort a few vital gasps of air. You may get up to use the bathroom, or simply reposition, and the cycle repeats.

Depending on the severity of your OSA, you may achieve very little or no deep sleep.

Don’t try to sleep on it! Call (760) 730-1600 today to start getting better rest.