Sleep apnea a cause for concern

Manuel Haro has sweet dreams now, thanks to finding a treatment that works for his sleep apnea.Haro would wake up every hour with a feeling like he was choking. He had high blood pressure and panic attacks. "I was feeling pretty bad before I got here," said Haro, 39, of Elk Grove about his journey to find treatment for sleep apnea.Although he had been told he had a large uvula and tonsils, it wasn't until Haro gained 30 pounds that he started to notice being tired during the day. An ear, nose and throat doctor suggested a sleep test and sure enough he had severe sleep apnea. He was prescribed a CPAP machine, which continuously delivers air pressure to a person's passageway. The device involves wearing a mask during sleep and can be obtrusive, leading to some patients not using it. Haro couldn't handle the pressurized air coming into his passageways."I thought there was nothing else anyone could do for me besides surgery," Haro said.Then he was referred to Preddis Sullivan, DDS, of the Northern California Dental Sleep Therapy Center in Roseville. Sleep apnea is caused when air can't flow in or out of the nose or mouth during sleep, even though efforts to breathe continue. Usually this occurs when the throat muscles and tongue relax during sleep and partially block the airway. These involuntary stoppages in breathing can happen up to 30 times in an hour.Sullivan's practice outfits patients with an oral appliance, which is usually covered by medical insurance. He measures patients to see how far their jaw needs to be moved forward to improve air flow. The measurements are sent to a lab and custom devices for the lower and upper jaw are created. Sullivan follows up with patients to see that the device, which lasts 3-5 years, is still a good fit."I have more energy throughout the day," Haro says of life with his oral appliance. "I noticed the difference right off the bat. I was never able to lay back and breathe correctly."Haro has worn the device every night since getting it in June. His blood pressure is lower, which even surprised his doctors. Now that he's getting deep REM sleep, he even recalls his dreams, something he didn't used to do.If left untreated, sleep apnea can lead to hypertension, stroke, lack of energy, irritability and falling asleep during the day — while at work, or worse, while driving. Snoring (which is caused by vibrations of the uvula hitting the back of the throat) can be a sign of sleep apnea. Snoring is one of the main ways someone discovers they may have sleep apnea, usually because a spouse tells them, Sullivan said. "I don't think it's reached a point where people say, you're snoring, you need to see a doctor,"?he said. "But more people are realizing snoring isn't natural."The condition affects all age groups and both sexes. "Sleep apnea in general is becoming more prevalent in society," Sullivan said. "The reason for this is because as a society, we are getting larger."As fat cells accumulate around the neck, they push in on airways, further constricting air flow.Preddis practices dentistry and focuses on treating sleep apnea on Saturdays. He received additional training on sleep apnea and is a member of the Association of Dental Sleep Medicine.But a lot of his knowledge comes from experience — he has sleep apnea, too.It wasn't until attending a sleep apnea seminar that the instructor pointed out Sullivan to the class, betting him a round of golf that he had the condition."I said, 'Dude, you're out of your mind. I don't have sleep apnea,'" Sullivan said. But after doing a take-home sleep test and analyzing the results, they found he did have it, and a severe case at that. Sullivan uses a CPAP machine and the oral appliance to control his sleep apnea."In all honesty, that class saved my life," he said. "Now what I want to do is save other people. This for me is more a crusade than just something to do. Every patient I see, I want to make sure they live a long, healthy life. If they don't get treatment, it's a ticking time bomb."Reach Michelle Carl at michellec@goldcountrymedia.com.----------Sleep apnea facts• The word "apnea" is derived from Greek, meaning "want of breath." • NFL Hall of Famer Reggie White died in 2004 from a cardiac arrhythmia, which may have been caused by his sleep apnea condition.• It affects more than 18 million Americans, according to the National Sleep Foundation..com.