What is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep Apnea is serious and potentially life-threatening medical condition that causes a person to actually stop breathing while asleep. These interruptions of oxygen cause a wide variety of symptoms, and are linked to some serious conditions such as weight gain, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. 

Apnea sufferers can stop breathing as many as 40 times per minute. They awaken feeling as though they had little or no sleep because they’ve been fighting for oxygen all night.

Apnea episodes can occur from 6 to 100 times per hour. This oxygen deprivation causes people to feel exhausted when they wake up, as though they haven’t really been sleeping. They’ve spent most of the night fighting for air, so it’s no wonder side effects like feeling tired, headachy, and irritable are prevalent. Furthermore, the lower oxygen levels also put a strain on the heart.

Sleep apnea has a number of causes. While much research has been conducted and is still underway, there is no single identifiable cause in every sleep apnea patient. Some researchers have found that certain conditions like obesity, encephalitis, neurodegenerative diseases, and cervical spine complications actually lead to sleep apnea. Usually, sleep apnea is caused by mechanical and structural problems in the airway that interrupt breathing while you sleep. On the other hand, sleep apnea may occur because the throat muscles and tongue relax while you sleep and block the airway. In obese individuals, sleep apnea may be caused by the narrowing of the airway, due to the excess amounts of tissue in the throat and neck.

The most common type of sleep apnea is Obstructive sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is caused by a blockage of the airway. With Obstructive sleep apnea, air cannot flow into or out of the person's nose or mouth although efforts to breathe continue. The upper airway becomes obstructed by excess tissue. This obstruction may be located in the nasal passages or the structure of the jaw and airway, and may be one of the causes of sleep apnea. Another type of sleep apnea is Central sleep apnea, which is much less common. In a case of Central sleep apnea, the brain fails to send the appropriate signals to the breathing muscles to initiate respirations.

Sleep Apnea is a very serious condition, and deserves attention so that you can sleep better and live longer.

Read more on Sleep Apnea Causes

Snoring, a Sleep Disorder

Do you have trouble sleeping because of a loved one's snoring? Believe it or not, snoring can be more disruptive to the person snoring than it is to you.

Snoring is caused by a blocked airway. It is often dismissed as an annoyance, but it can actually be a sign of a very serious condition known as obstructive sleep apnea. The tongue falls backward during sleep and can fully or partially block the airway. There is then a struggle to obtain air, and this is what causes the vibration we call snoring. Much of the time the body will continue to get just enough air so there will be very little harm. However, snoring is a condition that means sleep apnea could be right around the corner.

Apnea episodes can occur from 6 to 100 times per hour. The oxygen deprivation causes people to feel exhausted when they wake up, as though they haven’t really been sleeping. It is no wonder they feel tired, headachy, and irritable because they’ve spent most of the night fighting for air.

The lower oxygen levels caused by snoring also put a strain on the heart. Because of this, snoring and obstructive sleep apnea are considered medical problems.

Read more on sleep disorder solutions.

Snoring? A quick and practical questionnaire...

Many patients come to us because their partners or family members noticed heavy snoring or frequent episodes where they stopped breathing. Spouses often report pauses in breathing followed by a gasp for air.

But not everyone can discover their situation this way. Many people sleep alone, or with partners who sleep too deeply to notice a problem. If you suspect you have a nighttime breathing problem but aren’t sure, ask yourself these questions:

• Do you snore on a regular basis, or wake others up in your household?
• Do you awaken frequently at night gasping for air?
• Are you excessively tired during the day?
• Do you fall asleep at unusual times during your day?
• Do you have morning headaches or frequent sore throats or dry mouth?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should consider getting a thorough sleep evaluation. Visit our website for Snoring Solutions.

Sleep Apnea Treatments

The lack of quality sleep can take a huge toll on your life. There are many disadvantages to lack of sleep. Sleep apnea patients complain of a lack of energy, poor concentration, decreased productivity, slowed metabolism, and general loss of quality of life. In addition, sleep apnea can lead to high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes, and in extreme cases, even sudden death. It is not a condition to take lightly. Diagnosis and treatment can have a huge impact on your future, and on your life.

There are four main treatments for sleep apnea. Oral appliance therapy repositions the lower jaw and tongue to keep the airway open. The appliance is molded to the inside of your mouth and worn at night. We suggest that a follow up appointment is necessary to achieve the best results. A second treatment is simply to adjust some of your behaviors. For example, avoid alcohol before bed, lose weight, moisten the air, quit smoking, raise the head of the bed or mattress, and increase daily exercise to name a few. This is a good option for mild sleep apnea. Thirdly is the CPAP machine. CPAP stands for continuous positive airway pressure, and is a machine located next to the bed to provide a constant stream of air via a mask. This constant stream of air keeps breathing passages open, and has close to 100% efficiency when used. The last option is surgical treatment. There are several surgeries that can be preformed, but like any surgery there is risk involved.

With over two decades of training and experience in the field of dental sleep medicine, Dr. Blumenstock is one of the most active and influential practitioners of this type in New Jersey. We function in cooperation with a medical sleep team that includes sleep physicians, neurologists, pulmonologists, and ear, nose, and throat specialists. Since snoring and obstructive sleep apnea are medical problems, you’ll obtain an objective medical assessment before we explore oral appliance therapy.



Following referral from a physician, Dr. Blumenstock thoroughly examines all patients and discusses all options, advantages, limitations, and consequences. You will decide together what the best option is for you and your sleep apnea.

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Oral Appliance Therapy for Sleep Apnea NJ

Oral Appliance therapy involves the selection, design, fitting and use of a specially designed oral appliance that, when worn during sleep, maintains an opened, unobstructed airway in the throat. Oral appliances that treat snoring and obstructive sleep apnea are devices worn in the mouth, similar to orthodontic retainers or sports mouth-guards. They have several advantages over other forms of therapy. Oral appliances are comfortable and easy to wear and care for. They are small and convenient, making them easy to carry with you when you travel. Treatment with oral appliances is reversible and non-invasive.


SomnoMed
The SomnoMed MAS is a custom-made device, consisting of upper and lower dental plates with a unique patented fin-coupling component, which allows normal mouth opening and closing. An optional part provides incremental and adjustable levels of lower jaw advancement, which improves the effectiveness and comfort level of treatment as the jaw is moved only as far as is required to alleviate snoring and reduce apnea.

Visit us at Sleep-Apnea-Dentist-NJ.info to view more oral appliances.

Oral Appliance Therapy for Sleep Apnea NJ

Dental Sleep Apnea Medicine

Dr. Norman Blumenstock earned his dental degree from Columbia University College of Dental Medicine, after earning his bachelor’s degree from Brooklyn College. Prior to entering private practice, he served a general practice residency at Montefiore Hospital and Medical Center in New York City. He is proud to have earned both Fellowship and Mastership awards from the Academy of General Dentistry.

Dr. Blumenstock has taken hundreds of hours of postgraduate education, as well as his 20 year plus focus on dental sleep medicine that allows him to help you improve your overall health. Dr. Blumenstock is an Assistant Clinical Professor at UMDNJ - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and on staff at the Dental Department of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. In addition to memberships in the American Dental Association, New Jersey Dental Association, and Middlesex County Dental Society, Dr. Blumenstock is a charter member of the Sleep Disorder Dental Society and has been credentialed by the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine.

Visit our main web site to learn more about Dental Sleep Medicine in New Jersey.

Sleep Apnea - What is it?

What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a serious, potentially life-threatening condition in which an individual repeatedly stops breathing while he or she sleeps. The most common type is obstructive sleep apnea, caused by a blockage of the airway. This blockage could be excess tissue in the nasal passages or behind the tongue in the oral pharynx and hypopharynx of the airway.

Dr. Blumenstock is pleased to be able to offer his dental sleep apnea services to New Jersey and the surrounding states. Visit our main web site to learn more about Central Jersey Dental Sleep Medicine.