Sleeping with Acid Reflux

November 11, 2020

Many people experience the occasional acid reflux, or more commonly referred to as, heartburn. Acid reflux can happen for a variety of reasons including smoking, drinking alcohol, ingesting a large meal or even being overweight. Those who have experienced this uncomfortable and unsettling feeling know that in time it will pass and learn how to avoid it from happening in the first place. However, if you have ongoing symptoms of acid reflux, as in more than twice a week, you may be diagnosed with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD).

Photo credit: The Best of Health UK

GERD, a chronic form of acid reflux, can greatly impact your quality of sleep. Unlike occasional acid reflux, it can contribute to Sleep Apnea. There are a few reasons for this. One, because of your horizontal position, the reflux causes the contents of your stomach to rise as high as the throat. The acid from your stomach will cause an intense burning sensation and an unsavory awakening. Secondly, according to an article published on NCBI, “The prevalence of GERD has been shown about 58-62% of patients with OSA, however, these results may all be confounded by obesity. Apnea may increase trans-diaphragmatic pressure and decrease intra-thoracic pressure, favoring GERD.” To put it more simply, Sleep Apnea, which causes respiratory pressure to change, can make it easier for reflux to occur.

To help alleviate acid reflux, you can start out by propping up your pillow to sleep more at an angle and work with gravity to make it more difficult for the reflux to reach your throat. Another tactic is using over-the-counter neutralizing medications like Tums and Pepto-Bismol. However, neither of those is going to get rid of your Sleep Apnea. Sign up for an appointment today to get a handle on the problem before it worsens!

 

3 Myths About Sleep Apnea

September 15, 2020

There is so much information floating around the Internet, it’s hard to know what is true and what is false. When beginning your searches about symptoms regarding sleep apnea, you may have run across some scary, but not possibly quite true, information. At Sleep Rehab, our goal is to make you well informed and confident about treating your symptoms. So, let’s bust some myths about Sleep Apnea!

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Myth 1: Obesity is the main cause of Sleep Apnea.

Yes, there is a link between Obstructive Sleep Apnea and weight gain, as we wrote about in this blog post. However, there are several factors that can affect your breathing at night and obesity is just one of them. As concluded by the Lost Angeles Sleep Study Institute, “Weight is a factor in developing sleep apnea, as the fatty tissue in the back of the throat can collapse and block the airway as the muscles relax during sleep. However, even a well-conditioned athlete who has a large, muscular neck may have a similar problem. Even a thin person can have sleep apnea if he or she has a narrowed airway or structural abnormalities of the jaw, tonsils or adenoids, septum, tongue and soft palate.”

Myth 2: Snoring means you have Sleep Apnea.

Snoring is a common symptom of Sleep Apnea patients, but just because you snore does not mean that you have Sleep Apnea. Snoring is only a clue that Sleep Apnea may be a possibility. According to the Mayo Clinic, snoring can occur with alcohol consumption, having a narrow nasal airway, a family history of snoring, or being a man (men are more likely to snore than women).

Myth 3: A CPAP machine is the most effective treatment of Sleep Apnea.

A CPAP machine has been a popular treatment for Sleep Apnea patients for decades. It delivers air pressure to keep a person’s airway open. However, there have been issues surrounding the use of a CPAP machine including claustrophobia, dry mouth, skin irritation, and nasal problems. Thankfully, the medical community is always advancing and there are as effective, or even more effective, Sleep Apnea treatments and Sleep Rehab is always on the cutting edge. We offer easy-to-wear oral appliances that are a lot of like a mouthguard and much less intrusive than a CPAP machine.

 

We hope busting these myths about Sleep Apnea puts you on a more clear path to treating your symptoms of sleeplessness and snoring. When you’re ready, make an appointment to see a specialist at Sleep Rehab to get a better night’s sleep.

New Study: Correlation Between Age Acceleration & Sleep Apnea

December 30, 2019

As a sufferer of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), you might be experiencing quite a few side effects including trouble breathing in the middle of the night, waking up unusually exhausted, and others. However short-lived those effects may be, there are other effects of not sleeping through the night that may cause long-term damage, including your lifespan.

Image via abc.net.au

Could untreated sleep apnea result in shaving years off of your life? According to a 2019 study by Oxford, it certainly could.

In this article titled, Sleep Disordered Breathing Associated with Epigenetic Age Acceleration, tested with 53% female and 47% male and an average age of 67.8 found that disruption in your breathing while asleep not only changes your circadian rhythm causing exhaustion, but it also aids in age acceleration.

The scientists that published the article concluded: “Increasing SDB (sleep disordered breathing) [a side effect of OSA] severity and sleep disruption was associated with epigenetic age acceleration, independent of measured confounders.”

Epigenetics refers to the changes that can happen in DNA because of lifestyle and environmental factors that can affect how genes behave. When you don’t get enough sleep, your DNA could be aging faster than it normally would.

In the study, one of the authors stated, “Traditionally, we don’t give as much attention to sleep as we do to exercise or smoking,” says Dr. Li. “But it’s another modifiable risk factor, like smoking, physical inactivity, or poor diet.”

The good news is, epigenetic aging is reversible when treated and could improve cardiovascular and neurobehavioral health.

Although there is no cure for sleep apnea, recent studies show that successful treatment can reduce the risk of heart and blood pressure problems.” – National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

At Sleep Rehab, located in the Dallas area, we can provide treatments that have proven time and time again to treat your sleep apnea with the possibility to slow the age acceleration that OSA has caused. These treatments are non-invasive, non-pharmaceutical and non-surgical. No CPAP required. Contact us today to learn more and get started.

 

 

Will a Sleep Apnea Appliance Work for Me?

August 8, 2018

Woman waking feeling restedNo treatment is right for every patient, but if you’re suffering from sleep apnea, oral appliance therapy can offer significant improvement in the quality and quantity of sleep. Many patients with sleep apnea struggle to adjust to treatment using the more traditional continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. For these patients and those who don’t achieve adequate improvement in sleep using CPAP alone, an oral appliance may provide effective treatment to help you get a good night’s sleep.
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Treating Snoring and Sleep Apnea in Plano, TX

August 21, 2016

Filed under: Sleep Apnea — Tags: , , — drfedosky @ 10:08 pm

For snoring and sleep apnea in Plano, TX, residents make the short drive to Garland for effective treatment at Sleep Rehab.Snoring may be something that people joke about, but in truth it can be a sign of a much more serious medical condition called sleep apnea. That annoying sound that emanates from the mouth while you sleep is caused by the vibration of soft tissue in your throat as air passes by. Bigger problems arise, however, when this same tissue blocks your airway. To treat snoring and sleep apnea in Plano, TX, Dr. Keane Fedosky at Sleep Rehab will create a customized oral appliance that helps maintain an open airway so you can breathe and sleep at night.

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