Issue 35.14
How is your sleep hygiene? If you’re among the 40 million-plus Americans suffering from chronic sleep disorders, you could be a candidate for heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes and even depression.
“If you’re not sleeping well, you’re not just subject to a variety of ailments, but you’re also aging faster since sleep affects every vital organ,” said Dr. Shad Morris, DMD, a member of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, the only certified diplomat of the American Academy of Sleep and Breathing in Southern Utah, and CEO of Premier Sleep Solutions LLC.
Morris noted that it’s essential for people to have consistency in the way they sleep, since it really isn’t possible to store sleep or to make up for lost sleep. “For a good night’s sleep, the body really requires about five full sleep cycles, and usually, one sleep cycle lasts around 90 minutes,” Morris said.
He added that one of the more common sleep disorders is sleep apnea. “Some 22 million Americans have sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is an involuntary cessation of breathing while a person is asleep. It can occur hundreds of times each night, with each episode lasting up to several minutes,” Morris said.
Morris and his company specialize in treating patients suffering from sleep apnea by fitting them with custom-made oral appliances. These appliances, which are similar to bleach trays in appearance, can often be used in place of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines. “While CPAP machines have been used for years, recent research has shown that in many cases, custom-made oral appliances can be as effective as CPAP in treating sleep apnea. Plus, in my experience, a substantial percentage of patients find CPAP machines to be so cumbersome that they eventually refuse to use them regularly, and as a result, their overall health suffers,” Morris said.
Most insurance companies now cover oral appliance therapy and the oral appliances. Morris noted that Medicare is leading the way relative to standard of care within the industry.
For more information about oral appliances or to schedule a patient consultation, please contact Premier Sleep Solutions in St. George at (435) 319-0478 or visit the company’s website at www.premiersleepsolutions.com. Premier Sleep Solutions has offices in St. George and Salt Lake City, Utah, San Antonio, Texas, and Newport Beach, California. The St. George office is located at 75 South 100 East, #1E, St. George, UT 84770.