Sleep apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder affecting millions of Americans, yet it often goes undiagnosed. Traditional diagnostic methods can be cumbersome, requiring overnight studies in sleep labs or using home monitoring equipment. However, technology is taking us in an exciting new direction. The latest Apple Watch now offers groundbreaking features that could help detect possible sleep apnea, empowering individuals to take control of their health like never before. What is Sleep Apnea, and Why Does it Matter? Sleep apnea is characterized by repeated interruptions in breathing during sleep. These interruptions can last from a few seconds to minutes and occur dozens or even hundreds of times a night. Symptoms include snoring, gasping for air, excessive daytime sleepiness, and difficulty concentrating. If left untreated, sleep apnea can lead to severe health complications, including high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Diagnosing the condition early is essential for managing symptoms and reducing health risks. That’s where the Apple Watch is stepping in to make a difference. Apple Watch's Sleep Apnea Detection: How Does It Work? The Apple Watch has long been a leader in wearable health technology, and its newest iteration raises the bar with advanced sleep monitoring capabilities. Leveraging a combination of sensors, algorithms, and user-friendly apps, the watch provides insights into your sleep patterns, heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and respiratory rate. Here’s how the Apple Watch can assist in detecting potential sleep apnea: 1. Blood Oxygen Monitoring: A drop in blood oxygen levels during sleep is a common indicator of sleep apnea. The Apple Watch’s SpO2 sensor measures blood oxygen saturation levels in real time, offering critical insights that can point to possible breathing disturbances. 2. Heart Rate Variability Tracking: Sleep apnea episodes often cause fluctuations in heart rate. The Apple Watch continuously monitors your heart rate and can flag irregularities that might suggest an issue. 3. Sleep Tracking with Respiratory Data: By analyzing your breathing patterns during sleep, the Apple Watch provides data that can help detect irregularities like apnea events. While the Apple Watch is not a medical device and cannot diagnose sleep apnea, its ability to provide detailed data makes it an invaluable tool for individuals to share with healthcare providers. Benefits for Patients The introduction of sleep apnea detection on a widely accessible device like the Apple Watch has far-reaching implications for patient care. Here are some of the key benefits: - Early Awareness: Many individuals are unaware they have sleep apnea until symptoms become severe. The Apple Watch provides an early warning system, prompting users to seek professional evaluation. - Convenience: Unlike traditional sleep studies, the Apple Watch gathers data passively while you sleep, eliminating the need for specialized equipment or visits to a sleep lab. - Empowered Patients: With access to detailed health data, individuals can take a proactive role in managing their sleep health, whether by consulting a physician or making lifestyle adjustments. - Cost-Effectiveness: While a full sleep study remains the gold standard for diagnosis, the Apple Watch offers a lower-cost entry point for identifying potential issues. What This Means for Healthcare Providers For sleep and TMJ specialists, the Apple Watch’s sleep apnea detection features represent an opportunity to engage with patients in new ways. Patients arriving with detailed data from their watch may streamline the diagnostic process, allowing providers to focus on treatment solutions sooner. Moreover, integrating wearable data into treatment plans can improve compliance and outcomes. By tracking progress and identifying ongoing issues, healthcare providers can tailor therapies like oral appliance therapy or CPAP more effectively. The Role of Sleep Specialists While the Apple Watch is a powerful tool, it’s important to emphasize that it is not a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment. If your Apple Watch flags potential signs of sleep apnea, the next step is to consult with a qualified sleep specialist. A comprehensive evaluation can confirm the diagnosis and determine the best course of action. At The Central Ohio TMJD and Dental Sleep Therapy Center, we specialize in diagnosing and treating sleep apnea, offering solutions tailored to each patient’s unique needs. Whether you’re exploring oral appliances or seeking alternatives to CPAP, our team is here to help you achieve restful, healthy sleep. Take Charge of Your Sleep Health Today Are you experiencing symptoms of sleep apnea or receiving alerts from your Apple Watch about irregularities in your sleep patterns? Don’t wait to take action. At The Central Ohio TMJD and Dental Sleep Therapy Center, we specialize in expert evaluation and treatment for sleep apnea, ensuring you receive personalized care tailored to your needs. Contact us today at 614-890-1571 to schedule a consultation and take the first step toward better sleep and better health. Your journey to restful nights starts here!

We all know that stress is a leading cause of numerous health conditions. And many of us claim that the holiday season exacerbates their stress levels. And here we are again as November begins. The light changes, the time changes, the weather changes, the social expectations change… And as they say, everybody likes progress, but nobody likes change. This, for many, is the heart and soul of stress. Did you know that stress and anxiety can also adversely affect your oral health? Stress and anxiety, in general, can hinder sleep and help cause grinding of your teeth. In addition to watching out for the numerous bad foods available throughout the holiday season, it’s also worth taking some time to de-stress through Thanksgiving. Interestingly enough, a great number of leading happiness scholars all point to a single factor that influences general happiness: gratitude. Stave off your stress levels this November by keeping a close count of the things you have to be grateful for. Keep a list, even. It’s not too taxing to write a few things down every day before bed that you have in your life to be thankful for. If it’s a struggle? Get back to basics. Be grateful for the simple things. Be thankful for a roof over your head. Be thankful for family and friends, and the beauty of the season. No matter what your situation is, your sleep can grow deeper and more fulfilling, and the team at Dr. Bez understands. We have been helped thousands with sleep apnea, and TMJD find drug free and needle-free solutions and a new lease on life. Follow us on Facebook this month to learn more about the connection between anxiety and sleep and what you can do about it. If you know someone who is suffering from the symptoms of sleep apnea or TMJD, call us today to schedule an evaluation.

Do you or someone you know suffer from diabetes? Did you know they are at a higher risk for sleep apnea? People who have diabetes are likely to have poor sleeping habits already for a number of reasons. But for people with type 2 diabetes, studies have found that Sleep Apnea is an increased risk. Sleep apnea involves pauses in breathing during sleep. These are often not enough to wake the person involved up, but these pauses can easy take away from the overall quality of sleep and put sufferers at increased risk for many other diseases including heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. The relationship between sleep apnea and diabetes is complex, and scientists are still working to understand how the two conditions affect one another. But it’s clear that untreated sleep apnea and diabetes together are problematic and can contribute to dangerous health conditions. No matter what your diagnoses are, the team at Dr. Bez understands. Dental appliances have been very effective in mild to moderate sleep apnea, and studies show that most people tolerate them better. In short, we can help. Follow us on Facebook this month to learn more about the connection and what you can do about it, and if you or someone you love suffers from Sleep Apnea and is not using their CPAP call us today, there are other options.

There are so many things in this day and age that can be written up to being “just in your head.” But TMJD? TMJD is in your head, kind of. Many people are unaware that TMJD can show up in all sorts of curious ways. Pain can show up in the face, ear, jaw, or mouth. The ripple effects of that pain can show up in even more places. It’s not imaginary, though. TMJD pain can be chronic, joints can crackle, and it can cause muscle spasms. It turns out that your pain has everything to do with the many variables of your particular jaw and how you use it. Some TMJD pain is caused almost exclusively by grinding your teeth. Other people’s pain could be caused by the particular way their jaw was formed at birth. Each jaw is different, and therefore each set of symptoms are unique. No matter what it is that TMJD is doing in your body and to your head, the team at Dr. Bez understands. We can assess, recommend therapies, and/or appliances. In short, we can help. Follow us on Facebook to learn how you can get around TMJD and enjoy overall improved health.

As humans, we sleep a lot of our lives. It’s true. We sleep nearly one quarter to one third of our entire lives! Some people may consider this a waste of perfectly good time, but it turns out that our sleep–and the way we approach it–has long-lasting effects on our overall health. And although a sleeping person may appear inactive, some functions of the brain and body are actually more active during sleep than when we’re awake. We all know that sleep comes in cycles from light to deep. We tend to go in and out of all the sleep cycles. It’s widely believed that these cycles and deep sleep itself is essential for building and restoring what’s called “brain plasticity,” or our ability to process new information. We have trouble remembering things from the day when we haven’t slept well. It turns out that the brain eliminates waste from cells during sleep. If you’ve ever felt foggy or slow after a decent period of poor sleep, it’s likely your brain suffering from a lack of restoration time. A lack of good sleep also affects the body in general. There are many clues about the functions that sleep serves and how getting more and higher quality sleep can improve our health and wellbeing. If you feel like you’re not getting enough quality sleep, we might be able to help. Learn more about the science of sleep on our Facebook page!

As humans, we sleep a lot of our lives. It’s true. We sleep nearly one quarter to one third of our entire lives! Some people may consider this a waste of perfectly good time, but it turns out that our sleep–and the way we approach it–has long-lasting effects on our overall health. And although a sleeping person may appear inactive, some functions of the brain and body are actually more active during sleep than when we’re awake. We all know that sleep comes in cycles from light to deep. We tend to go in and out of all the sleep cycles. It’s widely believed that these cycles and deep sleep itself is essential for building and restoring what’s called “brain plasticity,” or our ability to process new information. We have trouble remembering things from the day when we haven’t slept well. It turns out that the brain eliminates waste from cells during sleep. If you’ve ever felt foggy or slow after a decent period of poor sleep, it’s likely your brain suffering from a lack of restoration time. A lack of good sleep also affects the body in general. There are many clues about the functions that sleep serves and how getting more and higher quality sleep can improve our health and wellbeing. If you feel like you’re not getting enough quality sleep, we might be able to help. Learn more about the science of sleep on our Facebook page!

We are very proud to be able to say that we’ve treated generations of fathers here at the office of Dr. Bez. Since 1979, we’ve had the privilege of knowing many of our patients’ children, as well as their children’s children. We are thrilled to see our patients pass down their great oral health home care routines on to their children, who then do the same. Father’s have such a positive influence on their children’s behavior–especially when it comes to taking care of your mouth. What we say is important as well, but we all know that children watch everything we do and are highly impressionable. An alarming study that was released, finding that almost 30 percent of men do not visit a dentist for regular check-ups and another 40 percent never floss. Considering you only reach 60 percent of the tooth when you brush this spells trouble for the health of your mouth. Seeing a role model brush and floss (or not floss and brush, as the case may be), sends a strong message to children about the importance of taking care of their oral health. Studies have also shown that children are influenced more by their parents than their peers even into the teen years. Why not let your children see you brush and floss from time to time and when you do, perhaps comment on how glad you are that you’ve made taking care of your mouth an important part of your day! Your children are sure to thank you for it one day, even if that thanks comes in the form of a beautiful smile. Happy Father’s Day!

It turns out that a great deal of people–men, women, and a sizable chunk of the medical community–tend to think that sleep apnea is a problem for men exclusively. It’s time to think again! Contrary to what’s out there, sleep apnea issues come in all shapes, size, genders, races, and can even show up in strange ways for people we’d normally think of as likely candidates! Not all sleep apnea sufferers snore, for example. It’s true that more men suffer from sleep apnea than women, but the ratios are closer than we’ve thought in the past. Sleep apnea symptoms in women are different than in men, however. This is one of the reasons why more women aren’t diagnosed with sleep apnea. Doctor play a part in this, too. Doctors are much less likely to ask women about sleep related symptoms. A woman may have sleep apnea even if she doesn’t snore loudly. The National Sleep Foundation states that sleep apnea in women may masquerade as several chronic diseases such as anemia, depression, diabetes, hypochondria, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome, hypothyroidism and menopausal changes. You don’t need to go through it alone. If you or loved one are having issues getting a good night’s sleep, call us today to learn how we can help.