Does Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Boca Raton Happen Every Night?

There’s no doubt about it — obstructive sleep apnea in Boca Raton is a serious problem that can rob you of the rest you need to feel good and function at your best. Still, you might wonder if there is such a thing as “occasional” sleep apnea. Let’s discuss how often apneas (periods of not breathing) occur and how you can take steps to achieve high-quality sleep every night.

Every Night or Just Sometimes?

Some individuals may experience occasional apneas. For example, if you normally breathe well when you’re sleeping, but you are suffering from a cold or allergies that affect your airway, you might have to struggle through a few nights where you snore loudly and even have a few apneas.

Of course, you’re unlikely to be diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) if occasional problems are the culprit behind your nighttime breathing issues. Individuals with true OSA are likely to experience problems every single night, though some nights might be worse than others. Over the course of months or years, nightly obstructed breathing can severely worsen your quality of life and put you at risk for significant systemic health problems.

How Many Apneas Happen Each Night?

Individuals with OSA experience varying numbers of apneas throughout each night. You might also experience hypopneas (episodes wherein a partial loss of breath occurs). After you take a sleep test, your doctor will use something called the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) to determine how severe your OSA is:

• Normal, healthy sleepers experience fewer than five apneas or hypopneas each hour
• Individuals with mild OSA experience 5 – 14 apneas or hypopneas each hour
• Individuals with moderate OSA experience 15 – 29 apneas or hypopneas each hour
• In severe OSA, sufferers experience 30 or more apneas or hypopneas each hour. Some individuals experience as many as 400 episodes each night.

The above numbers apply only to adults. Children are considered abnormal sleepers if they experience an average of 1.5 apneas or hypopneas each hour.

Conquering Your OSA

Some people find that losing weight or sleeping on their side lessens the severity of their OSA. However, most individuals with this condition require treatment from a medical professional. Dr. Kenneth Mogell, an expert on sleep apnea in Boca Raton, uses oral appliance therapy to help his patients with mild to moderate OSA find relief from their disorder. With this treatment, you simply place a custom-made device in your mouth each night. It gently repositions the jaw, thus opening the airway and greatly reducing or even eliminating airway obstruction.

Are you struggling to cope with OSA? A sleep test, followed by appropriate treatment, can help you sleep soundly through the night, every night.

More About Dr. Mogell

Dr. Mogell has devoted much time to learning the intricacies of dental sleep medicine. He is even a Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep medicine, a status that highlights his experience and skill in treating patients with OSA. If you would like to find out how Dr. Mogell may be able to help you, contact our team today.