Sleep Apnoea

Sleep apnoea is a medical condition that occurs when one stops breathing for prolonged periods of time, or breathes insufficiently, during sleep. If left untreated sleep apnoea can lead to interrupted sleep, fatigue, lack of focus and in more extreme cases, depression and increased risk of heart disease.

Often overlooked, snoring can be more than an annoyance to your partner, as it can be an indicator of a much more serious health problem. With similar risks associated with having sleep apnoea, studies have indicated that snoring can thicken arteries that are responsible for taking blood to your brain, increasing your risk of vascular disease.

Related Risk Factors:

Symptoms:

Children Specific Symptoms:

If your child has any of the listed symptoms they could be one of the millions of children currently undiagnosed with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS)

Sleep Apnoea in Children:

At the TMJ & Sleep Therapy Centre Sydney we understand every parent’s priority is the overall health and wellness of their developing child. As a parent it is important to remember that obstructive sleep apnoea does not have an age boundary.

Habitual snoring and sleep apnoea is known to be present in many cases of children, with a 70% overlap between snoring and sleep apnoea in children.

It is a common condition in childhood, frequently misdiagnosed as ADHD, and when left untreated can result in severe complications including:

If your child finds they have trouble sleeping, it is highly likely that sleep apnoea or snoring is behind it. The medical condition resulting from a poorly positioned jaw and/or tongue can lead to a blocked airway and may create a barrier in the healthy development of young children. To ensure that your child has the best start in life we recommend all children who snore undergo a sleep study for evaluation of apnoea.

Sleep apnoea is commonly caused by an obstruction in the throat. When we sleep the muscles naturally relax, but for those that suffer sleep apnoea the muscles relax too much or in the wrong way, causing soft tissue around the neck to block the airway. Furthermore, poor posture and a misaligned jaw can affect the throat muscles and force your jaw back, placing further pressure on your airways.

Cause of Sleep Apnoea/ Snoring

Treatment

By focusing on the cause and not the symptoms alone, the TMJ & Sleep Therapy Centre Sydney can design a treatment plan specifically aimed at treating sleep apnoea and snoring. This is done by improving the positioning of the jaw, head, and neck to reduce or remove any pressure on the airways.

Delayed development

Dysfunctions of the nervous system

Depression

Aggressiveness

Decreased performance/ learning problems

Impaired intelligence

Memory Loss

Hyperactivity

Social Isolation