Have you ever had the experience of feeling frozen in place at night while your heart races and your breathing stops? This can be a terrifying experience in addition to leaving you feeling drained and exhausted before your feet hit the floor in the morning. If you’re having nightmares you can’t explain, you may be experiencing sleep apnea. This condition interrupts your body’s natural sleep cycles which means you’re not getting the quality rest you need at night. If this sounds familiar, keep reading to learn more about sleep apnea and what you can do to prevent it.
What Is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a disorder in which your breathing repeatedly stops and restarts throughout your sleep cycles. There are two types, and they are:
- Central sleep apnea. This is the rarer type and occurs when there’s an interruption in the brain signals that control your breathing.
- Obstructive sleep apnea. This is more common and happens because your airway is physically blocked by excessive throat tissue, the back of your tongue, swollen lymph nodes, tonsils, misaligned jaw, or sinus issues.
Your body cycles through various sleep stages multiple times throughout the night. Each one is associated with various health benefits like rejuvenating cells, healing injuries, repairing tissues, and reorganizing and cataloging information that’s sent to your brain.
When you stop breathing, the cycle that you’re in is interrupted and your body starts over. That means you’re not able to enjoy the benefits that come with beneficial rest. As a result, you’ll be more mentally, emotionally, and physically drained than those who have uninterrupted sleep.
How Does Sleep Apnea Influence Dreams?
Many individuals with sleep apnea have a harder time remembering their dreams than others. For instance, a scientific study found that only 43.2 people with this condition could recall their nighttime visions compared to 71.4 people without it. While the exact reason why is unclear, it’s believed that if you have sleep apnea, your REM (rapid eye movement) stage of deep sleep is interrupted. Because this is typically when dreams occur, you’ll likely have fewer dreams.
Does Sleep Apnea Induce Nightmares?
People with this disorder still have at least some dreams, though they tend to be more stressful. It’s unfortunately not uncommon for these individuals to experience vivid nightmares. If your airway is obstructed then you won’t inhale the right levels of oxygen which can potentially disturb the quality and symbolism of your dreams. You might envision yourself struggling to breathe underwater, for example, or being strangled or choked. Sufferers of sleep apnea are more likely to have symptoms of depression and anxiety during the day as a result.
How Can I Prevent Sleep Apnea?
Thankfully, some factors that contribute to sleep apnea are within your control. Limiting alcohol consumption, quitting smoking, and losing weight are all healthy ways to prevent it. If that’s not enough, your dentist can provide an oxygen machine or oral device to assist you.
Give your dentist a call today and you could be well on your way to having a blissful night’s rest!
About the Practice
At iSleepSolutions, patients benefit from two experts with more than 20 years of combined experience. They take pride in helping patients improve their lives by addressing sleep apnea symptoms. After performing an examination and gathering your medical history information, they can arrange sleep studies to help diagnose whether you’re suffering from this condition. Then, they provide individualized treatments to help alleviate it. If you’d like a consultation, you’re welcome to request an appointment on the website or by calling (702) 602-2000.