Sleep Apnea Treatment in Downers Grove IL

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Do you or a loved one snore?
Snoring can double or even triple the risk for a stroke.
Sleep Apnea can lower your average life expectancy 10 years.

A Yale University School of Medicine study published in the November 2005 New England Journal of Medicine reports that Sleep Apnea (sleep disturbed breathing) more than doubles the chances of a stroke or death. The Yale study found that severe cases of sleep apnea can more than triple the risk of stroke or death. This risk is reported to be independent of other cardiovascular risk.

"People with sleep apnea often don't realize they have it, since they don't remember waking up again and again, gasping for breath. Frequently, someone else hears the choking and "industrial-strength snoring," says Klar Yaggi, a sleep specialist at Yale who led the study.

Fifty percent of middle-aged and older adults have the disorder to some degree due to throat muscles relaxing and closing off their airway as they sleep. They then wake up with a jolt, gasp for air, and fall back to sleep over and over again.

Research is underway to understand better the process by which the body wakes itself up to breathe. Spikes of adrenaline course through the body when breathing stops, increasing blood pressure. This is an automatic body response to repeated plunges in the level of oxygen in the blood as a result of the blocked airway.

Treatments for sleep apnea include weight loss, the use of a breathing machine called a "Continuous Positive Airway Pressure" or "CPAP" machine, and wearing a custom-made device in the mouth to keep the airway open during sleep. The loss of weight and treatment by a doctor who treats sleep apnea can restore a good night's sleep and eliminate considerable stress on your body from oxygen deprivation and adrenaline surges.

A Unique Approach

The Thornton Adjustable Positioner (TAP) is one example of a dental appliance designed to improve or eliminate snoring & sleep apnea. It is based on the same principle as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, CPR. The airway must be opened to allow air to pass through the throat. A constricted or collapsed airway causes snoring or sleep apnea.

The TAP holds the lower jaw in a forward position so that it does not fall open during the night and cause the airway to collapse. The TAP maintains a clear airway to reduce snoring and improve breathing.

Sleep Apnea Can Cause:

• Chronic Sleepiness
• Strokes
• Heart Attacks
• Heartburn
• Morning Headaches
• Depression
• High Blood Pressure
• Impotence

Dr. Jeffrey Wascher and Dr. Eric Jackson have received additional training in the treatment of sleep disordered breathing. Please feel free to schedule a consultation appointment to find out if an oral appliance can help your condition.