A Whole Health Approach to Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a dangerous condition that can downgrade your quality of life and make you feel drained and fatigued on a daily basis. If you’ve been diagnosed with OSA and are using oral appliance therapy to breathe easier at night, you’re to be commended for taking positive steps toward a healthier you. But what if, despite your OSA treatment, you still find that you suffer from chronic exhaustion? Let’s talk about how a whole health approach to OSA may be able to pinpoint the reasons behind your problem so you can get back to feeling energized and happy.

CT Scans

A computer tomography (CT) scan maps out a patient’s airway and can identify that specific structural abnormalities that lead to OSA. For example, if your airway is naturally narrow, you have nasal obstruction, or there is a low-hanging soft palate, such issues can play a role in causing and/or worsening OSA. Sometimes, surgery may be needed to correct these problems.

Allergy Testing

Allergens don’t just make you sniffle and sneeze. They can inflame the airway and nasal passages, thereby worsening the obstruction that causes you to stop breathing at night. Your allergies could even be hindering the efficacy of your oral appliance therapy and contributing to your fatigue. Identifying the allergens that bother you, whether it is dust, pollen, pet dander, or something else, can help you manage your environment so you rest better at night.

Blood Testing

It’s possible that your sleep apnea treatment is performing at its best and you are breathing easily throughout the night. However, you may still feel drained of energy if you are suffering from certain nutrient deficiencies. For example, low levels of iron, vitamin D, and vitamin B12 can all lead to feelings of exhaustion. A blood test can identify such deficiencies, and you can thereafter adjust your diet or take supplements to increase your intake of the vitamins and minerals you need to feel your best.

Vital Systems Assessment Test

OSA often coexists with, and sometimes even causes, other serious health conditions. For example, it is associated with a dramatically increased risk of heart failure and stroke. A vital systems assessment test (VSAT) measures how well some of the vital systems in your body, such as your heart and nervous system, are functioning. It can point toward health conditions that may be affecting your energy levels — or perhaps endangering your life.

Since OSA can affect, and be affected by, so many bodily systems, it is often wise for specialists to work together to address it. Your dental sleep medicine expert, your regular physician, and other doctors should make a team effort to improve the quality of your sleep and protect your overall well-being.

About the Author

Dr. Shelley Shults is a dentist with expertise in sleep medicine, a family nurse practitioner, and a registered nurse. Her extensive expertise enables her to address OSA with a whole health approach; she can thus help her patients to enjoy better sleep and healthier bodies. If you would like to speak with her about your OSA, contact us at  614-396-9310 to request an appointment.