Case Study 1

After receiving a diagnosis for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), Brian was referred to us by Bloomington Hospital Sleep Lab. Brian had high blood pressure that was not responding to medication, and he suffered from such severe daytime sleepiness that he had driven off of the road while on his way to work in the morning. He was also embarrassed by people complaining about his loud snoring when he fell asleep during long airplane flights.

Wearing his oral appliance dramatically lowered his blood pressure and improved his daytime sleepiness. His wife was also thrilled that they could sleep in the same bedroom again. However, even though he had improved so much, a follow-up sleep study determined that Brian's respiratory events were still unacceptably high. Brian was adamant that he would not use CPAP, so we referred him to an ear, nose and throat surgeon. After a small amount of tissue was removed from Brian's throat and after sufficient healing time had passed, Brian was referred back for a sleep study to assess his progress. The graph below follows Brian's treatment.

Before treatment, Brian had an average of 43 respiratory events per hour. With his oral appliance, his symptoms dramatically improved, but his number of respiratory events was still unacceptably high. After surgery and without his oral appliance, Brian was less managed than with oral appliance. However, after surgery and using his oral appliance, Brian suffers no effects from his disorder.

Case Study 2

Another patient was referred to our office by her psychiatrist. She was suffering from depression and fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia sufferers commonly have a very difficult time sleeping. The patient tolerated the oral appliance well and was comfortable. Home monitoring with the Watch PAT sleep recorder showed that her pulse rate during sleep dropped seven beats a minute with the oral appliance in place which is a wonderful sign of a more restful sleep! She was also able to access three times as much REM sleep using her appliance; REM sleep is considered a critical stage for the body's rest.