What’s a gift that will benefit the recipient for years and requires no wrapping paper at all? At Sierra Sleep, it’s the gift of quality, restful sleep! Even better, it’s a gift you can give to yourself and those you love.
Are You Suffering from Sleep Apnea?
Sleep is one of the most valuable functions of the human body, providing our body and brains the desperately-needed rest they need to power through each day. It is, in fact, a literal necessity for your physical and mental health. Yet too many of us suffer from persistent sleeplessness night after night.
There are many contributing factors to the national sleep deficit, including stress, depression, and chronic pain. One of the most serious, obstructive sleep apnea, can lead to lifelong chronic illness, on top of the daily negative side effects caused by a lack of proper sleep.
Fortunately, there are new, innovative solutions for treating sleep apnea that can help sufferers transform the way they sleep and give them back their lives.
Sleep Apnea in Children
At a glance, sleep apnea in children seems like an isolated issue. An estimated 3-15% of children are thought to suffer from this life-altering condition. That might not seem like much until we turn it into real numbers: 3-15% of kids in America today is 2.1 to 10.9 million kids. That’s more than childhood cancer, diabetes, and asthma combined.
Even worse, only 10% of these children have been diagnosed. That means there are potentially 9 million children suffering from sleep apnea every night. Sierra Sleep is working to change that through education and action, including proven treatments for treating sleep apnea in children.
What are the symptoms in children?
Trying to decipher if your child has a sleep disorder can be difficult. This is especially true if they are quite young. Parents assume their child is getting a good night’s rest as long as they are in their beds asleep.
Unfortunately, a sleeping child is not always indicative of a rested child. Sleep apnea and airway issues can cause them to wake up repeatedly throughout the night and not even know it. They wake up exhausted, cranky, or unfocused without understanding why. Here are some common signs your child might be suffering from poor sleep.
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- Waking up tired, feeling tired all day long
- Bedwetting
- Poor attention span
- Tantrums
- Snoring
- Night terrors
- An ADD/ADHD diagnosis
- Speech problems
- Falling asleep in class
- Decline in academic performance
- Uncharacteristic moodiness
- Tooth decay or gingivitis
- Depression/anxiety/irritability
- Snoring
- Waking up during the night
- Oversleeping
If you have noticed some of these traits in your child and you know of no other medical or environmental cause, your child may have sleep apnea or disordered breathing.
Sleep Apnea in Adults
Children are not the only ones who may be living with untreated sleep apnea and sleep disorders. Many adults may spend years feeling tired, moody, unfocused and burned out without ever attributing it to a loss of sleep. That is because they, like the young kids mentioned above, may not realize that they stop breathing throughout the night.
Some patients have been known to wake up more than one hundred times in a single hour! It is important to see a professional if you believe you have sleep apnea.
What are the symptoms in adults?
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- Snoring/gasping for air
- Pauses in breathing
- High blood pressure
- Acid reflux/GERD
- Dry mouth
- Headaches/TMJ
- Low energy
- Difficulty focusing
- Insomnia
- Irritability/depression/anxiety
- Teeth Grinding
- Mouth breathing
- Nighttime urination/bed-wetting
- Diabetes/obesity
The symptoms above can indicate a potentially serious issue with disordered breathing. Sleep apnea does not go away without intervention. It is time to enlist help from a trained professional.
3 Steps for Diagnosing and Treating Sleep Apnea and Disordered Breathing
At Sierra Sleep, we have a proven process for diagnosing and treating sleep disruption caused by sleep apnea or other airway issues.
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- Conduct an at-home sleep study. You or your child will be provided an unobtrusive, easy-to-use device that monitors sleep behavior right in your own beds.
- Complete a comprehensive airway and sleep evaluation. Your sleep specialist will complete an evaluation to detect airway issues. If apnea or airway issues are found, you and your doctor will determine the next steps.
- Provide proper sleep support devices. Your treatment will include finding the right support to give you a great night’s sleep. Sierra Smiles’ specialty devices can help children and adults not only breathe easily at night, but also resolve the problem in as little as 12-24 months.
Let Sierra Sleep Help You Rest Easy
Half of all Americans report feeling exhausted as they navigate their daily lives. It’s not just grown-ups, either. Short sleep is also impacting our children, with rates of poor sleep among children ranging from 25% to over 50% (depending on the state surveyed). Both of those numbers are a big deal when you consider that negative impact exhaustion can have on both.
Let Sierra Sleep help you rest easy. Call today to set up an evaluation and find a new path forward. Remember, your health is a gift. Treat yourself!
