Once you’re diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea it can be scary. You’ve got to feel your way around to see what treatment works for you. Even then some people worry and ask, “Can my Sleep Apnea kill me?”

Treatment could save your life

Truth is, Sleep Apnea can be fatal. Not because the symptoms or the complications, but because being drowsy all the time sets up many dangerous situations. Imagine feeling like you just pulled an all nighter every day and every night, because that’s how some people have felt before they started treating their Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Here’s some situations where it could be potentially dangerous for someone with undiagnosed Sleep Apnea.

• Driving a car
• Flying a plane
• Rock climbing
• Hunting
• In active duty

Not sleeping for around 18 hours actually produces an impairment equal to a blood alcohol level of around .05, almost legally drunk. It’s easy to see why it claimed over 846 lives in 2014. I’m sure anybody could think of many more situations where being dead tired could potentially end somebody’s life.

It’s a fact, drowsiness is dangerous. Many people think of being tired as a badge of honor of sorts. But, the truth is, it’s something that is dangerous and selfish to be intentionally doing. That’s why it’s so honorable to get treatment for sleep apnea. You’re not just protecting yourself, you’re protecting everybody you come in contact with.

Make sure your sleep apnea treatment is working correctly

Getting treatment is always the best option, but sometimes it doesn’t work the way we expect. Not only that, but sometimes the treatment doesn’t actually work at all. Most of the time this is because a misuse of the treatment method. There are some quick fixes for most sleep apnea treatments.

CPAP

Make sure the mask is completely sealed. Often times people will incorrectly equip the mask leading to a leakage of air. If the air is leaking, the benefit of the CPAP will often be negated to a point where it’s not even worth wearing.

Many people find that shaving facial hair around the area such as moustaches, goatees, and soul patches makes it much easier to put on correctly. Once the CPAP is correctly applied treatment should work as intended.

Oral Appliances

99% of the time sleep dentists will find the correct fit, however sometimes, mistakes just happen. Something in the process could have gone haywire or the mold could have just been taken incorrectly. Verifying that your mouthpiece is a correct fit is essential to knowing that you’re getting correct treatment. I mean, why wear something uncomfortable if it’s not even treating the Sleep Apnea? Once verified, if problems continue, contact us to see other options.

Positional Sleep Therapy

For anyone who may have a tried a sleep belt such as the slumberBUMP, they’ll know that sometimes sleeping can be more unpredictable than they imagined. Tossing and turning is a part of sleep and is much more prevalent than most people would imagine.

For stomach sleepers, sleep belts can often be problematic. They find they tend to fall forward onto their stomach in their sleep. An easy fix for this is just using pillows to create a wall in front of you. This will train – along with the sleep belt – your body to permanently sleep on its side.

If nothing is working then check with a professional

When it comes down to it patients aren’t doctors. For as many quick and easy fixes there are, just as many more complicated problems can arise. Most of these are best to leave to professionals who have probably seen it before and can find the best solutions to it.

We’re more than happy to help you at Premier Sleep Solutions. We now have four locations in St George, Midvale, Las Vegas, and San Antonio.