Treating Sleep Apnea with the Vivos Method
When you think about sleep apnea treatment, you may picture a CPAP Machine. Loud, bulky, difficult, and with a stigma attached. They aren’t much quieter for your partner than your snoring, and they can be embarrassing to live with for many people. While CPAP Machines are the most commonly used treatment for sleep apnea, they aren’t the only ones available. There are other sleep apnea treatments available that do not require the use of a CPAP, surgery, or anything else invasive. Keep reading to learn about the Vivos method for sleep apnea treatment and how you can get prescribed the Vivos Method in Encino.
What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder that causes frequent pauses in breathing during sleep. Most people with sleep apnea experience symptoms such as loud snoring and daytime sleepiness. The two main types of sleep apnea are obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and central sleep apnea (CSA).
Breathing disruptions occur in OSA when the airway narrows during sleep. In CSA, the disruptions are caused by a lack of communication between the brain and the muscles involved in breathing. These breathing interruptions reduce the quality of sleep and, if left untreated, can lead to potentially serious health consequences. If you think you may be at risk for sleep apnea, it’s critical to work with a doctor so that you can get any necessary testing and treatment.
Health Risks Associated with Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is much more than just annoying, loud snoring. It can actually lead to very serious health risks. Sleep apnea treatment will help greatly reduce your risk for these health concerns:
- Cardiovascular issues, such as stroke, high blood pressure, heart failure, heart disease, and irregular heartbeat
- Depression
- Anxiety
- An increased risk of car accidents
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Pulmonary hypertension
- Impaired memory
- Difficulty focusing and concentrating
- Cognitive decline
Do I Have Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is almost impossible to know you have unless you have a sleeping partner who flags you regarding certain symptoms. If your partner warns you about loud, annoying snoring or pauses in breathing, take note. Luckily, there are other daytime symptoms of sleep apnea that can help you understand whether you may have sleep apnea or not.
Wondering if it’s time to see your doctor about sleep apnea? Here are the most common tell-tale signs of sleep apnea:
- Excessive daytime drowsiness. Do you require a large amount of coffee or sugary drinks to get through the day? Do you need a nap on most days to recharge? Do you have a difficult time focusing at work or during conversations? You may be experiencing daytime drowsiness, which is a symptom of sleep apnea.
- Loud snoring with gasps. Snoring is the hallmark symptom of sleep apnea, along with loud gasping and pauses in breathing.
- Frequent headaches. Sleep apnea can cause frequent headaches, especially in the morning.
- Dry mouth. Sleep apnea often requires you to breathe through your mouth instead of your nose, which can cause dry mouth, bad breath, and dental issues.
- Waking up frequently in the night. Sleep apnea can cause frequent awakenings, especially to get out of bed to urinate.
- Mood swings. Poor sleep quality due to sleep apnea can cause irritability.
The Vivos Method for Sleep Apnea Treatment
At Gorman Health and Wellness, we are committed to finding our patients the best possible long-term treatment for sleep apnea issues. Our treatment employs a multidisciplinary treatment plan that uses noninvasive, cost-effective oral appliance technology prescribed by our trained dentists and medical professionals to treat dentofacial abnormalities and/or mild-to-moderate OSA and snoring. In fact, our office of one of the very few in the Los Angeles area who prescribe it. This revolutionary treatment is called The Vivos Method.
Improper development of the jaws and oral cavity can lead to an undersized airway where the tongue is more prone to fall into the back of the throat, causing the airway to collapse—especially at night. By reshaping and expanding the oral cavity, your airway may also expand, allowing you to both breathe and sleep more deeply.
After you’ve been diagnosed with sleep apnea, our Vivos-trained dentist will conduct a comprehensive evaluation, taking all relevant clinical records, in order to formulate a customized treatment plan. This treatment plan will likely include a number of integrative therapies that have been proven to ensure the best treatment outcomes. Unlike virtually every other nonsurgical treatment for OSA, which requires nightly lifetime intervention, studies show that patients undergoing treatment with our Vivos doctors have an average treatment time of about 12 months.
What Other Sleep Apnea Treatments Are Currently Available?
Vivos is the best option for those seeking the least invasive treatment route possible for sleep apnea, along with getting the best long-term results. Sleep apnea is a difficult condition to live with, but luckily, you do not need to be chained to a CPAP or undergo invasive surgery to put a stop to it. Other treatments for sleep apnea include making lifestyle changes, using a CPAP machine, and getting surgery.
Lifestyle Changes
In some cases, sleep apnea symptoms can decrease with some simple lifestyle changes. Some of these lifestyle changes include:
- Weight loss. Obesity and sleep apnea are strongly associated. In fact, the risk of OSA increases with BMI, and even a 10% weight gain is associated with a six-fold increase in OSA risk. In addition, roughly 60–90% of adults with OSA are overweight.
- Addressing nasal congestion issues. When the body cannot breathe through the nose, it goes into “survival mode” and breathes through the mouth, which is how OSA issues can occur. If you have a congested nose due to allergies or other nasal issues, clearing this up can greatly reduce your sleep apnea issues.
- Fixing large tonsils. If you have large tonsils, this may be the cause of your sleep apnea issues. Simple tonsil removal surgery can help take care of this problem.
- Stopping the use of alcohol and other sedatives. Alcohol and other sedatives can help put you to sleep initially; however, they can cause you to wake up earlier than you naturally would have.
- Sleeping position. OSA is strongly associated with back sleepers. Changing your sleep position, with the help of pillows and other supports, can help clear your airway and greatly reduce your sleep apnea symptoms.
CPAP Machines
The most common treatment for sleep apnea is a CPAP machine. The reason that CPAP machines are the most common treatment is because they will work on just about everybody. No matter what the underlying cause of your sleep apnea is, you will be able to find relief with a CPAP machine. Using a CPAP machine does not require you to make any lifestyle changes; all you have to do is put it on at night and get better sleep.
However, using a CPAP machine isn’t that simple. There are many downsides to using one as your long-term treatment solution, which includes:
- Bulky and uncomfortable. CPAP masks cover your entire face, strap around your head in multiple places, and have a long hose coming out of it. This can be uncomfortable for most people using one and can be difficult to get used to.
- Loud. CPAP machines can be very loud when they are turned on. This can be difficult to get used to for both you and your sleeping partner. Your sleeping partner may find that it is not much quieter than your snoring.
- Difficult to travel with. Traveling with a CPAP machine is difficult, which adds an extra layer to vacations, business trips, and spontaneity.
- Does not treat the underlying issues. CPAP machines are effective because they continuously deliver pressurized air, which opens your airways and gives you a more restful sleep. However, it is just a bandaid and does not actually treat the obstruction that is causing the issue.
- Dangerous to maintain. CPAP machines require regular cleanings and maintenance in order to keep running at maximum efficiency. They may frequently require new parts, and there have been instances of dangerous recalls.
Surgery
Another treatment method for sleep apnea is surgery. This option is the most invasive, but it is the best solution for permanently removing the obstruction that is causing your sleep apnea issues. Some of the obstructions that may have surgery as a treatment method option include:
- Large tonsils
- Uvula and soft tissue
- Tongue issues
- Nasal surgery
What to Do If I Have Sleep Apnea
If you suspect you may have sleep apnea, it is important to speak to your doctor and get a diagnosis. The steps to getting prescribed the Vivos method by our doctors include:
- Undergo a sleep assessment. The purpose of a sleep assessment is to evaluate your sleep quality and determine the severity of your sleep apnea, if present. Your Vivos dentist or medical provider will provide a home sleep test, such as VivoScore.
- Receive diagnosis. Based on the results of your sleep assessment, you will be diagnosed with sleep apnea and recommendations for treatment based on your particular health condition and underlying factors.
- Exam and treatment plan. Dr. Gorman will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of your condition based on your clinical records and sleep assessment. He will develop a customized treatment plan, which may integrate multiple therapies—including prescribing the Vivos method— to ensure the best possible treatment outcome.
- Commit to treatment. Once your treatment plan has been developed, it is in your hands! Your results from The Vivos Method will largely depend upon your commitment to follow the directions and protocols prescribed by your Vivos doctors and other providers. By remaining diligent in completing your treatment, you will have the best likelihood of achieving your breathing and sleep goals.
The Vivos Method by Gorman Health and Wellness
Dr. Gorman is a part of the breathing wellness movement, which aims to increase awareness and improve treatment for sleep-related airway conditions like sleep apnea. He has partnered with organizations focused on collaborating with dentists to apply the sciences of Craniofacial Epigenetics (the study of cranial modifications caused by gene expression as opposed to genetic code alteration) and Pneumopedics® (the practical application of oral appliance therapy and non-surgical airway remodeling) in the management of sleep apnea.
Together, the application of these sciences allows for underlying causes of airway obstruction to be treated in 98% of cases, resulting in a high success rate among sleep apnea patients. For every sleep apnea case at our practice, Dr. Gorman will gather patient data and determine the patient’s specific needs based on home sleep test results, dental impressions, CT scans, and images. Our state-of-the-art technology, paired with Dr. Gorman’s experience with sleep disorders, allows him to find the most effective treatment plan for each individual’s particular case, yielding improved daytime and nighttime breathing for the patient.
“I have been helping people suffering from Sleep Apnea with a non-invasive, clinically approved treatment method. This method has allowed my patients to sleep with far fewer events per hour, allowing them to get rid of their CPAP and BiPAP machines. Imagine not having to use one of those machines, getting back a much greater quality of life along with the benefits of being able to breathe better.” – Dr. Gorman.
For more information on Dr. Gorman and the Vivos method for sleep apnea treatment, visit us at MGormanDental.com!
