Google+
Free Sleep Screener
CALL
(586) 522-4326
Aragona Sleep logo

Southeast Michigan’s Patient Guide
for Sleep Apnea Treatment

Many people struggle with sleep apnea, with about one in four men and one in ten women experiencing it. Despite what some believe, this issue is not limited to snoring loudly or feeling groggy the next day; it’s also linked to serious health concerns like hypertension, stroke, type 2 diabetes and heart attacks. Tackling sleep apnea early on is key. Aragona Sleep helps patients identify and manage this condition without resorting to invasive, surgical treatment options.

Contact Us

What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a condition that disrupts your sleep without you even knowing. Imagine your body as a house, and the air you breathe as guests trying to enter. In OSA, a blockage in the doorway – your throat – stops these guests from coming in smoothly.

Here is what happens: When you are awake, muscles in your throat keep the airway open. But when you sleep, these muscles relax. For most people, this is not an issue. However in OSA, the muscles in the throat become overly relaxed, and the tongue and soft tissues in the throat can collapse backward.

This can reduce or completely stop airflow, causing your body to not get the oxygen it needs. The drop in oxygen and the struggle to breathe send a distress signal to your brain. This alarm (a brief arousal from sleep) partly wakes you up to reopen the airway. You might not fully wake up or remember these interruptions, but they can happen hundreds of times a night, resulting in fragmented, poor-quality sleep.

These constant wake-ups will naturally zap all your energy, so much so that you will wake up feeling exhausted the next day. Over time, this lack of deep, restorative sleep can raise your blood pressure, increase the risk of heart disease, and compromise your ability to focus.

People with OSA usually snore loudly – but not everyone who snores has OSA, and not everyone with OSA snores loudly. Sounds complicated? That’s why you need to look out for other signs too.

Learn More

How To Tell You Have Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

You are likely suffering from OSA if you have one or more of the following conditions:

  • Chronic snoring with a booming, reverberating sound
  • Episodes of stopped breathing during sleep
  • Gasping for air during sleep
  • Morning headache
  • Excessive daytime sleepiness
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Mood changes (irritability, depression)
  • High blood pressure
  • Nighttime sweating
  • Decreased libido
  • Dry mouth upon waking
  • Sore throat in the morning
  • Restless sleep
  • Frequent nocturnal awakenings
  • Insomnia
  • Memory problems
  • Decreased attention span
  • Nighttime chest pain
  • Frequent urination at night
  • Snorting or choking sounds during sleep
Learn More

How We Diagnose Obstructive Sleep Apnea

To diagnose OSA, we start with a qualified sleep physician telehealth visit and valid order for a sleep study. A home sleep test is an easy-to-use wearable device. It records various bodily functions while you sleep, including oxygen levels in your blood, heart rate, and breathing, among others.

The test results allow us to monitor two important factors:

  • Apneas happen when your breathing completely stops for a short period (usually at least 10 seconds).
  • Hypopneas occur when your breathing does not fully stop but becomes very shallow due to a partial airway blockage.

A sleep physician reads the study results and counts how often these apneas and hypopneas occur during each hour of sleep. The frequency of these events is a key indicator of the severity of OSA. Our team then calculates your Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI), which represents the total number of apneas and hypopneas you have per hour of sleep. The higher the AHI, the more severe the sleep apnea.

Here is a general guide to what the AHI numbers mean:

  • Normal: Fewer than 5 events per hour
  • Mild: 5-14 events per hour
  • Moderate: 15-29 events per hour
  • Severe: 30 or more events per hour
Learn More

How We Treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Oral Appliance Therapy

Our approach to treating OSA at Aragona Sleep focuses on using precision mandibular advancement devices. These are designed to address sleep apnea and fit in your mouth like a sports mouthguard or orthodontic retainer.

The primary function of these devices is to move your lower jaw (mandible) slightly forward. This forward movement is key. It helps in two main ways:

  • Keeping the tongue forward: When your jaw moves forward, it naturally brings your tongue ahead. Since a slack tongue falling back is a common cause of airway blockage, keeping the tongue forward helps keep the airway open.
  • Opening the throat: Advancing the jaw also helps to increase the space in the back of your throat. This extra space reduces the likelihood of airway collapse and helps you breathe more easily and continuously.

The respiratory obstruction is not as acute if you have mild to moderate OSA. So, the slight adjustment the oral appliance provides can be enough to significantly reduce or eliminate breathing interruptions. Simply put, the appliance provides a simple solution that directly targets your condition without requiring more invasive treatments.

If your condition is too severe, you will be referred to CPAP or BiPAP therapy or surgery. In case your OSA is linked to throat or sinus problems, we might suggest seeing an otolaryngologist. They can evaluate whether there is a need for more direct interventions, like surgery, to help improve your breathing.

Learn More

Schedule Your Oral Appliance Therapy Consultation Today

Dr. Sal Aragona of Aragona Sleep has cured thousands of OSA patients with oral appliance therapy over the last 35+ years.

If the results are positive for obstructive sleep apnea, we start the oral appliance therapy by taking precise measurements of your mouth and creating an appliance that fits you perfectly. After you start using the appliance, there may be a brief period where you are getting used to it. We work closely with you during this time, making any necessary adjustments to ensure the device is as comfy as possible.

With regular check-ups, we keep monitoring how well the appliance is working and make changes if needed. We also check on your overall sleep quality and symptoms to see the improvement. We accept all major health insurance plans and also offer extremely flexible financing options.

Menu
Skip to content