{"id":202,"date":"2019-05-16T16:02:17","date_gmt":"2019-05-16T16:02:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.schumacherdental.com\/blog\/?p=202"},"modified":"2019-05-29T16:06:25","modified_gmt":"2019-05-29T16:06:25","slug":"what-are-the-health-risks-of-untreated-sleep-apnea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.schumacherdental.com\/blog\/what-are-the-health-risks-of-untreated-sleep-apnea\/","title":{"rendered":"What are the Health Risks of Untreated Sleep Apnea?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.schumacherdental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/AdobeStock_71170753__1538596325_87327-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Man sleeping\" class=\"wp-image-203\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.schumacherdental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/AdobeStock_71170753__1538596325_87327-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.schumacherdental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/AdobeStock_71170753__1538596325_87327-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.schumacherdental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/AdobeStock_71170753__1538596325_87327.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder that affects millions of\nAmericans. While incredibly common, it\u2019s estimated that 80% of sleep apnea\ncases are untreated. This disorder causes numerous symptoms, but it can also\nlead to serious health risks. If you\u2019ve been having trouble sleeping or you\nnotice loud snoring in your partner, they could have untreated sleep apnea.\nKeep reading to learn more about sleep apnea and what it can cause if treatment\nis prolonged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is Sleep Apnea?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are multiple types of sleep apnea, but the most common\nis obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This disorder causes a blockage in your\nairway, leading those affected to stop and start breathing, sometimes hundreds\nof times in one night. Unfortunately, sleep apnea can go untreated because\nthose affected are often unaware that this is happening. That\u2019s why it\u2019s\nimperative for you to recognize these symptoms in your sleeping partner:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Loud snoring<\/li><li>Waking up feeling like you\u2019re gasping or choking<\/li><li>Waking up with a very dry or sore throat<\/li><li>Morning headaches<\/li><li>Restless sleep <\/li><li>Mood changes<\/li><li>Forgetfulness<\/li><li>Sleepiness while driving<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Effects of Sleep Apnea<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Unfortunately, sleep apnea causes a variety of problems that\nare mostly related to lack of sleep. Sleepiness throughout the day causes\ndecreased productivity, but it can even lead to greater risks of problems like\ncar accidents and depression. Additionally, obstructive sleep apnea can\nincrease your risk of these overall health issues:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Heart disease<\/li><li>Stroke<\/li><li>Diabetes<\/li><li>Dementia (brain damage)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Am I At Risk of Sleep Apnea?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While sleep apnea can affect anyone, there are some factors\nthat can increase your risk, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Excess weight<\/li><li>Narrowed airway<\/li><li>Chronic nasal congestion<\/li><li>Smoking<\/li><li>High blood pressure<\/li><li>Asthma<\/li><li>Being male<\/li><li>Family history of sleep apnea<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If these factors sound familiar, and you haven\u2019t been\nsleeping well, there is a good chance that you have untreated sleep apnea.\nThankfully, there are ways that your dentist can treat it to give you a great\nnight\u2019s rest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sleep Apnea Treatment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Your dentist has a way of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.schumacherdental.com\/sleep-apnea-treatment.html\">treating\nsleep apnea<\/a> to give you restful nights. In the past, the only way patients\ncould receive treatment was by using a CPAP (continuous positive airway\npressure) machine to keep them breathing properly. However, this solution comes\nwith its own set of problems like comfort, noise, and transportation. That\u2019s\nwhy your dentist uses custom-made oral appliances to shift your jaw into a\nposition that keeps your airway open for uninterrupted breathing. This allows\nyou to sleep and it decreases your risk of some of the more serious issues that\nsleep apnea can cause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If it sounds like you have any of the symptoms or risks of\nsleep apnea, contact your dentists as soon as possible to take your first step\ntowards a better night\u2019s sleep. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Meet the Dentist<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Rob Schumacher is an experienced dentist who remains up\nto date with the latest dental techniques through continuing education courses.\nHe takes pride in helping his patients achieve a better night\u2019s sleep, while\nalso being able to treat a wide-range of oral health problems. For any\nquestions, he can be reached through his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.schumacherdental.com\/contact-us.html\">website<\/a> or by phone\nat (781) 334-3400. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder that affects millions of Americans. While incredibly common, it\u2019s estimated that 80% of sleep apnea cases are untreated. This disorder causes numerous symptoms, but it can also lead to serious health risks. If you\u2019ve been having trouble sleeping or you notice loud snoring in your partner, they could have [&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-202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What Happens if Sleep Apnea is Left Untreated? | Schumacher Dental<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Do you have trouble sleeping? Learn why you could have untreated sleep apnea and how your dentist can help you count sheep with ease.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.schumacherdental.com\/blog\/what-are-the-health-risks-of-untreated-sleep-apnea\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Happens if Sleep Apnea is Left Untreated? | Schumacher Dental\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Do you have trouble sleeping? Learn why you could have untreated sleep apnea and how your dentist can help you count sheep with ease.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.schumacherdental.com\/blog\/what-are-the-health-risks-of-untreated-sleep-apnea\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Schumacher Dental Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-05-16T16:02:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-05-29T16:06:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.schumacherdental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/AdobeStock_71170753__1538596325_87327-300x200.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"drschumacher\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"drschumacher\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.schumacherdental.com\\\/blog\\\/what-are-the-health-risks-of-untreated-sleep-apnea\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.schumacherdental.com\\\/blog\\\/what-are-the-health-risks-of-untreated-sleep-apnea\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"drschumacher\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.schumacherdental.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/426852ba1a54970b99a90a9fc75217d7\"},\"headline\":\"What are the Health Risks of Untreated Sleep Apnea?\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-05-16T16:02:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-05-29T16:06:25+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.schumacherdental.com\\\/blog\\\/what-are-the-health-risks-of-untreated-sleep-apnea\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":535,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.schumacherdental.com\\\/blog\\\/what-are-the-health-risks-of-untreated-sleep-apnea\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.schumacherdental.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/AdobeStock_71170753__1538596325_87327-300x200.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.schumacherdental.com\\\/blog\\\/what-are-the-health-risks-of-untreated-sleep-apnea\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.schumacherdental.com\\\/blog\\\/what-are-the-health-risks-of-untreated-sleep-apnea\\\/\",\"name\":\"What Happens if Sleep Apnea is Left Untreated? | Schumacher Dental\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.schumacherdental.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.schumacherdental.com\\\/blog\\\/what-are-the-health-risks-of-untreated-sleep-apnea\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.schumacherdental.com\\\/blog\\\/what-are-the-health-risks-of-untreated-sleep-apnea\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.schumacherdental.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/AdobeStock_71170753__1538596325_87327-300x200.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-05-16T16:02:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-05-29T16:06:25+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.schumacherdental.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/426852ba1a54970b99a90a9fc75217d7\"},\"description\":\"Do you have trouble sleeping? 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