WALNUT CREEK — Although it’s often mistaken for mere snoring, sleep apnea is a serious condition that causes the sufferer to literally stop breathing during sleep—potentially hundreds of times in a single night. In addition to daytime sleepiness (which can affect work performance and increase the likelihood of a car accident), it can cause a variety of health problems, including elevated blood pressure, depression, and the risk of diabetes and stroke.
There are several factors that increase your susceptibility to sleep apnea, including physical attributes and personal habits. One common contributing factor is your body weight, although it’s primarily the size of your neck that matters. Males whose neck circumference is more than 17 inches and females whose neck circumference is more than 16 inches are particularly at risk. Other factors that increase your predisposition to sleep apnea are a deviated septum, chronic nasal issues or sinusitis, and smoking.
If you’ve been diagnosed with sleep apnea by a physician, you typically have three treatments to choose from. The first is the use of a CPAP, which is a mask attached to a machine that assists breathing during sleep. Another option is an oral appliance that brings your jaw forward to open up your airway while you sleep. The third option is to have surgery to correct the physical attributes that contribute to your condition.
Considering the health risks involved, if you’re experiencing symptoms of sleep apnea, you should consult a medical or dental professional who can help you find a treatment that best fits your needs.

How to Identify and Treat Sleep Apnea

Discover tips on identifying and treating sleep apnea, from understanding symptoms to exploring effective solutions for better sleep and overall health.

How to Identify and Treat Sleep Apnea by Dr. William Schneider

by Dr. William Schneider, a Diamond Certified Expert Contributor

Video: Addressing Sleep Apnea

Below is the revised video transcript with appropriate punctuation:

If you suffer from sleep apnea, there are some solutions available today. We're in Walnut Creek with Diamond Certified expert contributor Dr. William Schneider of William M. Schneider DDS to learn more.

Sleep apnea is a potentially severe sleep disorder. At night, your body stops breathing, sometimes up to hundreds of times a night. This can have very serious health consequences. Patients with sleep apnea have a much higher risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke. They have a much higher risk of depression, daytime sleepiness, which can decrease your work production and increase your potential of having a car accident up to five times.

Things that I'd like you to look for that may help indicate you have sleep apnea: if as a male, you have a neck circumference over 17 inches; as a female, if you have a neck over 16 inches; if you snore a lot; if you're a smoker; if you have chronic nasal issues; if you have chronic sinusitis, a deviated septum. All these have relations to sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea is diagnosed by your physician, and your physician will go over the three possible treatments. One treatment is a CPAP, which is a breathing machine you would wear at night to help you. There's surgery that can help correct your sleep apnea, and the third is an oral appliance that brings your jaw forward to open up your airway.

I'd like to encourage you, if you think you may have any of these possible symptoms, to consult with your physician to help change your life. To learn more from local top-rated companies, visit our Diamond Certified expert reports at experts.DiamondCertified.org.

Dr. William Schneider: An Early Intuition

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