Sleep Apnea in Bellingham, WA

Do You Hate Your CPAP Machine? Do You Feel Abandoned?

Are your sleep apnea symptoms becoming a nightmare?

You may be able to get the restful night’s sleep you’ve been dreaming of with easy to use sleep apnea technology! It might just save your life!

Obstructive sleep apnea is a disruptive, sometime debilitating disorder that occurs when a patient’s normal sleep is interrupted due to inadequate oxygen levels in the blood. Patients with obstructive sleep apnea actually stop breathing in their sleep, causing oxygen levels to drop dangerously low. The body eventually wakes itself up in order to restart the breathing process and restore oxygen levels. Some patients may experience sleep apnea episodes as often as one hundred times per hour or more. Sleep apnea is annoying and upsetting for both sleep apnea suffers and their bed partners.  Patients suffering from sleep apnea feel tired upon waking, suffer from headaches, and battle fatigue throughout the day. Many patients grind their teeth, snore loudly, and exhibit increased irritability.

As a dentist, Dr. Prager is concerned—no, make that worried—that you or someone you love might be one of the 80 million people in America who suffer from this serious sleeping disorder.  

Do you have one or more of these symptoms or sleeping habits?

• Loud snoring and/or waking up with a very sore or dry throat  
• Sleepiness or lack of energy during the day
• Teeth grinding…teeth gnashing
• Occasionally waking up with a choking or gasping sensation
• Sleepiness while driving or watching television
• Morning headaches, restless sleep, constant yawning
• Forgetfulness, mood changes, and a decreased interest in sex
• Feeling like you could use an hour or two more sleep when you wake in the morning
• Recurrent awakenings or insomnia

Untreated sleep apnea can increase your risk of suffering from high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke.  Sleep apnea and chronic low-oxygen levels in the blood can also contribute to:

• Muscle pain
• “Restless Leg Syndrome”
• Increased risk of depression
• Weight gain
• Diabetes
• Memory and concentration impairment
• Mood swings/temperamental behavior
• Fibromyalgia, pain in joints/muscles tendons
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Impotence
• Loss of short-term memory
• Gastric reflux
• Stroke
• Intellectual deterioration
• Insomnia
• Congestive heart failure
• Coronary artery disease  

Dr. Prager recently earned the distinction of Diplomate of the Academy of Clinical Sleep Disorders Disciplines. Our office utilizes Sleep MD-certified scientific sleep studies to determine if you have obstructive sleep apnea. We treat sleep apnea with easy to use, custom-fit FDA-approved dental appliances. These appliances restore optimal, natural breathing—allowing you to get a healthy night’s sleep.

Dr. Prager himself began using a custom-fit, FDA-approved oral appliance for treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. Within a couple of days he was sleeping better.  It was a classic example of not knowing how bad he was sleeping until he began sleeping better. These days his health and stamina have improved dramatically and he sleeps fantastic.

The biggest challenge is determining if you have a sleeping disorder.  

Here’s The Problem: you can’t tell on your own because you’re semi-conscious while trying to sleep. From a treatment standpoint, you don’t know you’re doing it…therefore, you don’t realize what it really feels like to have a good night’s sleep.

A dedicated sleep study will determine if you have obstructive sleep apnea. If your tests indicate you do have a sleeping disorder, many times you can be fitted with a custom oral appliance.  A custom oral device can restore proper breathing and provide you with much improved sleep.

IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY A CPAP USER:  If you have had a dedicated sleep study and own a CPAP machine, but can’t tolerate it, here’s what we can do for you.  We’ll provide you with a FREE Screening, which will accomplish the following:

• You’ll find out if you qualify to throw away your CPAP machine (if you haven’t already)
• A discussion of your health history
• A confidential sleep evaluation with one of our trained team members
• A discussion of your symptoms
• Answers to your questions and concerns in plain English

YOU’VE NEVER BEEN DIAGNOSED, BUT SUSPECT YOU MIGHT HAVE SLEEP APNEA:
If you have one or more of the symptoms mentioned at the beginning of this page, or THINK you might have sleep apnea, then you can come in for a FREE Screening, which will include the following:

• A discussion of your health history
• A confidential sleep evaluation with one of our trained team members
• A discussion of your symptoms
• Answers to your questions and concerns in plain English

Why so many Bellingham patients choose Dr. Prager for sleep apnea treatment: