RestAssuredRx
Better.
When You Sleep Better.
QUICK FACTS
- Over 22,000,000 Americans suffer from Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
- 80% of cases go undiagnosed.
- People with sleep apnea are at 2x’s the risk of having a traffic accident
- 65% of stroke patients have Sleep Disorder Breathing
What Is Sleep Apnea?
The Greek word “apnea” literally means “without breath.” With sleep apnea, your breathing pauses multiple times during sleep. The pauses can last from a few seconds to minutes and can occur more than five times per hour, to as high as 100 times per hour (fewer than five times per hour is normal). Sometimes when you start breathing again, you make a loud snort or choking sound.
Obstructive sleep apnea, the most common type, is caused by a blockage of the airway, usually when the soft tissue in the back of the throat collapses. The less common form, central sleep apnea, happens if the area of your brain that controls breathing doesn’t send the correct signals to your breathing muscles.
According to Eric Mann, M.D., Ph.D., deputy director of FDA’s Division of Ophthalmic, Neurological, and Ear, Nose and Throat Devices, you may be unaware of these events since they happen while you’re sleeping. Because you partially wake up when your breathing pauses, your sleep is interrupted, and you often feel tired and irritable the next day.
Sleep apnea is almost twice as common in men as it is in women. Other risk factors include:
Being overweight, extra fat tissue around the neck makes it harder to keep the airway open
Being over age 40
Smoking
Having a family history of sleep apnea
Having a nasal obstruction due to a deviated septum, allergies or sinus problem.
Children also get sleep apnea, most commonly between ages 3 and 6. The most common cause is enlarged tonsils and adenoids in the upper airway.
“You should certainly tell your physician if you think you, or your child, is experiencing symptoms of sleep apnea,” Mann says. “But the diagnosis of sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea requires a formal sleep study.”
Are You Experiencing Any of These Symptoms?
When you wake up in the morning you probably don’t give much thought to what went on while you were sleeping, but your partner may be giving it a lot of thought. Sleep apnea issues don’t just affect you, they can affect everyone around you. Here are 6 sleep apnea side effects you and your partner should know about.
You’re Tired All The Time
Exhaustion is one of the biggest symptoms of sleep apnea. When you stop breathing, your brain sends out a distress call. This causes you to wake, even if you don’t realize it. Waking up, even if it’s just for a few seconds, can disrupt your sleep cycle, leaving you exhausted the next morning. And no one likes a partner who is exhausted all the time.
You Look Older Than Your Years
A clinical trial, commissioned by Estée Lauder and conducted by physician-scientists at University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center, found that poor sleepers demonstrated increased signs of skin aging. They also gave a worse assessment of their own skin and facial appearance than people who slept well.
You Lost Your Sexual Libido or Have E.D.
Because sleep apnea causes repeated nighttime waking, chronic sleep deprivation may inhibit the body’s ability to produce and process estrogen and testosterone, which is partially responsible for your libido. Treatment for sleep disorders can usually get you back into the game.
Your Snoring is Earth-Shattering
Arguing because of snoring is something that affects more than half of the couples around the world. Loud snoring is the second major sleep apnea side effect. Not everyone who has sleep apnea snores (and not everyone who snores has sleep apnea). Along with severe snoring, your bed partner may notice a “gasping, snorting, or struggling” as you return to breathing. This can be extremely dramatic and overly alarming for the person you sleep next to.
You Fall Asleep Anytime, Anywhere
If you constantly pass out on the couch watching TV or can’t help but doze off in a dark movie theater, this could point to some extreme apnea-related exhaustion. It can cause some deadly consequences, too. This instant ability to fall asleep is one of the major risks with driving. In 2014, there were 846 fatalities recorded that were drowsy-driving-related. These reported fatalities (and drowsy-driving crashes overall) have remained largely consistent across the past decade.
You’re Frequently Moody
Mood changes, difficulty with memory and concentration stem from the sleep deprivation, created by sleep apnea. Poor sleep can leave you feeling crabby, making you no fun to be around. Even if an Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) sufferer feels as if they have slept a full eight hours, repeated awakenings to breathe will ultimately cause sleep deprivations. Without sufficient sleep, normal daily stresses and challenges may prompt a person to become overly emotional or irrational.
If You Are Experiencing Any of the Above Symptoms
Take our FREE sleep apnea assessment based on the STOP-BANG Questionnaire.
The STOP-BANG Questionnaire is a proven tool used by board-certified physicians to screen for obstructive sleep apnea. STOP-BANG is an acronym, which stands for Snoring, Tiredness, Observed apnea, blood Pressure, Body mass index, Age, Neck circumference, and Gender. Answering these questions can help identify patients at-risk for sleep apnea.
If you answer YES to 3 or more questions, you are considered at-risk or high-risk for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).
If you answer 2 or less questions with a YES, you are considered low-risk for OSA.
What is RestAssuredRX?
RestAssuredRX is an end-to-end secure telemedicine and sleep diagonistic solution that brings together patients and sleep experts to address the chronic health crisis of millions of people that are losing sleep every day! We are a recognized leader for ‘at-home’ sleep studies and continuing sleep care for our patients.
Meet Our Doctors
The Doctors at RestAssuredRx are specialists in their respective fields of practice, have board certifications*, and have over 45 years combined medical experience in the areas of general medicine, neurology and sleep medicine. At RestAssuredRX, we’re eager for you to get to know our outstanding physicians and specialists. Set up your appointment today and sleep better tomorrow.
Dr. Mastrin, MD
Dr. Mastrin, MD, has been in practiced in NJ and AZ for over 35 years. She did her residencies in Internal Medicine at University of Medicine and Dentistry of NJ, and at Jefferson University Hospital for Radiation Oncology…
Dr. Vaysbrot, DO
Dr. Vaysbrot studied at Stoneybrook University (Neurology & Neurophysiology), attended Medical School at NY College of Osteopathic Medicine, did her residency at NY Hospital & Medical Center (Queens) and is board certified…