{"id":50,"date":"2019-12-13T19:10:32","date_gmt":"2019-12-13T19:10:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sleepsnoringtmj.com\/blog\/?p=50"},"modified":"2020-12-09T16:51:51","modified_gmt":"2020-12-09T16:51:51","slug":"sleep-apnea-and-sleep-aids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fortworthsnoringandsleepcenter.com\/blog\/2019\/12\/13\/sleep-apnea-and-sleep-aids\/","title":{"rendered":"Why You Should Stay Away from Sleep Aids If You Have Sleep Apnea"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fortworthsnoringandsleepcenter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/AdobeStock_182956075__1576263818_24516.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-51\" width=\"303\" height=\"202\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fortworthsnoringandsleepcenter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/AdobeStock_182956075__1576263818_24516.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.fortworthsnoringandsleepcenter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/AdobeStock_182956075__1576263818_24516-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.fortworthsnoringandsleepcenter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/AdobeStock_182956075__1576263818_24516-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 303px) 100vw, 303px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Lately it\u2019s been\ndifficult for you to get a good night\u2019s sleep; you often go through the day\nfeeling exhausted, and you\u2019ve been suffering from frequent bouts of insomnia.\nYou\u2019ve been thinking of using sleeping pills or another kind of sleep aid to\ntry and get some quality rest. Before you do, however, you should know that exhaustion\nand insomnia are symptoms of sleep apnea \u2013 and using sleep aids can make this\ndisorder even worse. Read on to learn what you should avoid if you have the\nslightest hint of sleep apnea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Do Sleeping Aids Affect Sleep Apnea?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition where your airway\nfrequently becomes blocked while you\u2019re asleep, causing you to stop breathing.\nThis causes you to wake up briefly so that your body can resume its airflow. Many\ncommon sleep aids will worsen obstructive sleep apnea; for example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Sleeping pills that contain benzodiazepines\n(which includes well-known brands like Xanax and Valium) contain muscle\nrelaxant properties. That means they can cause the muscles and tissues in your\nmouth or throat to collapse and block the airway, making sleep apnea worse.<\/li><li>Opioids can make you fall asleep faster and stay\nasleep during the night, but they can also increase the number of sleep apnea\nevents (stoppages in breathing) that occur every night. <\/li><li>Alcohol works as a sedative to help you fall\nasleep more quickly, but you might not sleep as deeply and could wake you up in\nthe middle of the night \u2013 which is an issue when sleep apnea is already repeatedly\nwaking you up in the first place. Also, alcohol is similar to sleeping pills in\nthat it could cause the tissues in your throat to relax and collapse. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If you believe you\u2019re suffering from any kind of sleep\ndisorder, you should rule out sleep apnea before trying any sort of sleep aid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Do I Know If I Have Sleep Apnea?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Common signs of sleep apnea include loud snoring, waking up\ngasping for air, constant drowsiness, waking up with a very dry throat,\nforgetfulness, insomnia, morning headaches, and mood swings. If you\u2019re not sure\nwhether your symptoms point towards a sleep disorder, you should speak to a\nsleep dentist. Some practitioners will have an online <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fortworthsnoringandsleepcenter.com\/take-a-sleep-quiz.html\">sleep quiz<\/a> to\nsee if they recommend a consultation. You\u2019ll likely need to undergo a sleep\nstudy at home or at a sleep lab before a proper diagnosis can be made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once sleep apnea has been identified, your sleep dentist can\nprescribe oral appliance therapy or another appropriate form of treatment. Don\u2019t\ntake any unnecessary risks when it comes to your sleep; leave it to an expert\nto figure out a solution that will let you start enjoying restful nights again!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About the Author<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Mitch Conditt was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea in 2009 and learned firsthand how effective a custom oral appliance could be in treating it. Since then, he has specialized in sleep dentistry so that he can bring patients the same relief that he was able to enjoy. To schedule an appointment at Fort Worth Snoring &amp; Sleep Center, visit his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fortworthsnoringandsleepcenter.com\/contact.html\">website<\/a> or call (817) 527-8500. \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lately it\u2019s been difficult for you to get a good night\u2019s sleep; you often go through the day feeling exhausted, and you\u2019ve been suffering from frequent bouts of insomnia. You\u2019ve been thinking of using sleeping pills or another kind of sleep aid to try and get some quality rest. Before you do, however, you should [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fortworthsnoringandsleepcenter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fortworthsnoringandsleepcenter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fortworthsnoringandsleepcenter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fortworthsnoringandsleepcenter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fortworthsnoringandsleepcenter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.fortworthsnoringandsleepcenter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":103,"href":"https:\/\/www.fortworthsnoringandsleepcenter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50\/revisions\/103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fortworthsnoringandsleepcenter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fortworthsnoringandsleepcenter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fortworthsnoringandsleepcenter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}