| UPPER
AIRWAY RESISTANCE-SNORING
Breathing requires the movement of air through a long pathway. In
this pathway there are two critical areas that are vulnerable to
impede or completely stop the ability to breath. During sleep the
nasal and pharyngeal regions are the two primary areas where constriction
and reduction of airflow which has become known as “upper
airway resistance” occurs. The primary sign of this resistance
is vibration of the pharyngeal walls-heard as snoring. Snoring is
now known to be a sign of strained breathing that can affect one’s
ability to have restful sleep and is a sign of a more serious problem
that can pose a significant risk to one’s health as well as
the health of one’s bed partner.
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HYPOXIA
Resistance to airflow through the upper airway (nose & throat)
can reduce the amount of air reaching the lungs and reduce oxygen
concentration in the circulating blood (hypoxia). The body senses
the lowered oxygen level in the blood and the heart works harder
to try to get more oxygen to the body leading to chronic strain
on the heart and an increase in blood pressure.
Hypoxia is defined as a reducton in airflow of 30% or more for at least 10 seconds and a reduction in oxygen satuation of 3% or greater coupled with an arrousal from sleep to restart breathing.
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APNEA
Apnea is the complete stoppage of the airflow that occurs when the
upper airway resistance in the nose and throat causes enough of a
force to close the airway or the tongue falls back and blocks the airway and completely stops the flow of air for a period
of at least 10 seconds, causing a reduction of oxygen saturation of 3% or more and an arrousal from sleep to resume breathing. . |
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AROUSAL
Another harmful effect on the body is the signaling of the release
of a large amount of adrenalin to arouse (wake up) and breathe. This
jolt of adrenaline causes a spike in the blood pressure that can cause
the inner lining of the heart vessels (endothelium) to tear and need
to be patched by cholesterol forming arteriosclerosis and can lead
to heart attack and stroke. |
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AHI
APNEA-HYPOPNEA INDEX
The average number of apneas plus hypopneas per hour of sleep
Normal 0-5
Mild 6-15
Moderate 16-30
Servere greater than 30
RDI
R
E S P I R AT O R Y
D I S T U R B A N C E I N D E X
The average number of apneas plus hypopneas plus arrousals (not meeting the apnea hypopnea deffinitions) per hour of sleep
When either hypoxia or apnea occurs, they are scored as a respiratory
disturbance event. The number of events per hour is referred to as
the RDI-Respiratory Disturbance Index. |
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| NOT
ALL SLEEP IS EQUAL
There are four stages of sleep. Restorative sleep occurs when one
relaxes into deeper “slow wave” sleep in stage 3 and
4 as well as REM (dream) sleep. With snoring and upper airway resistance
there is increased effort to breath limiting one’s ability
to relax into “restorative sleep” This resistance causes
reductions in oxygenation (hypoxia) and arousals from sleep (fragmentation.) keeping one from entering deep restorative sleep.
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| SLEEP
APNEA HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH: |
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Hypertension |
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Stroke |
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Heart Disease |
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Gastric Reflux |
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Sexual Dysfunction |
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Fatigue/Cognitive
Dysfunction |
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Depression |
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| is
the first dental device to address both vulnerable regions of the
respiratory tract. By repositioning the mandible it holds the lower
jaw forward to keep open the pharyngeal area in back of the tongue.
Acting as a nasal dilator, it decreases airway resistance so it improves
ease of airflow through the nasal passage. |
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is approved by the FDA as a nasal dilator
and mandibular repositioner for the
treatment of snoring and sleep apnea. The OASYS Oral/Nasal/Airway System™ is patented and patent pending. |
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