Signs and Symptoms of Sleep Disorders

Prolonged sleep disordered breathing can have profound health consequences, which is why we ask questions about our patients’ sleep health at every appointment.

There is a simple test called the Epworth Sleepiness Scale that can help detect poor sleep quality. Download it here.

It’s important to note that sleep disorders must be diagnosed by a medical doctor, but that dentists like Dr. Caughey who are trained in dental sleep medicine have the skill to identify the warning signs and then make the referral to an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) or a Pulminologist. Anecdotal evidence suggests that men visit their primary care physician far less often than women, and research shows that men are twice as susceptible to sleep disorders than are women. When we review our patients’ medical history we ask a number of questions and look for symptoms that are related to sleep disorders, such as:

Some severe symptoms from prolonged, untreated sleep disordered breathing are:

A simple, quick test has been developed using the acronym STOP:

Note that a positive response to one or more of the above questions may be a sign of sleep disorders.