Sleep Apnea Also Affects Healthy People

In recent years, our clinic has noticed that more and more people are coming forward with sleep problems. In most cases, their ultimate diagnosis is sleep apnea, and, in most cases, the complaints come not only from such patients, but also from their partners, who either cannot fall asleep or are unable to maintain a long night’s sleep.

Sleep apnea can occur in any gender, at any age, regardless of weight or general health. This problem is so important that we decided to share it with those who may be suffering, yet unaware that help exists and is available to anyone who needs it.

For many years, there was an assumption that only overweight men could suffer from sleep apnea, and that women were not affected. However, this is a false premise that is no longer acceptable.

As an example of this situation, we would like to cite the story of Bernard P. from South Bay, who came to us for help because his wife Lauren, a thin, middle-aged woman who led a healthy lifestyle, had developed obstructive sleep apnea. As a result, it affected their lives and at times caused serious arguments between the couple, as Bernard could not sleep well and Lauren accused him of being selfish and making unreasonable demands.

Lauren snored loudly in her sleep. From time to time, she stopped breathing, choked and gasped for air. Bernard fidgeted in bed, unable to fall asleep or slept intermittently.  He was also worried that she would suffocate in her sleep. So, he woke her up whenever she stopped breathing for a long period of time. Lauren resented him and accused him of being the cause of her bad sleep. They ended up going to separate bedrooms. In the morning both felt angry and often exchanged accusations and even insulting remarks. Both ended up deciding to see the family physician, who referred them to a sleep specialist.

The sleep specialist ordered Lauren the use of a CPAP machine which, despite her best efforts, she could not tolerate.  This was no coincidence: despite the fact that CPAP is considered the gold standard in the treatment of sleep apnea, 85% of patients are not compliant due to numerous inconveniences.

A sleep specialist referred Lauren to our clinic for evaluation and alternative treatment, but Lauren, tired of going to doctors, refused.

Bernard made inquiries on the Internet and secured a recommendation from their family doctor. Upon learning that our clinic has helped thousands of patients to solve or alleviate their problems to such an extent that they could work and enjoy life without limitations, Bernard convinced Lauren to try the treatment one more time. At our clinic, Lauren had a complete examination, which confirmed the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea, and received a custom-made oral appliance to manage sleep apnea.

During treatment, it was discovered that the lack of oxygen affected Lauren’s libido and to some extent triggered her sexual dysfunction, which also contributed to the deterioration of the couple’s relationship.

Three months later, an evaluation home sleep test was performed, which showed that the snoring and sleep apnea problem was resolved. By the way, her performance in related aspects has also improved.

In our clinic, both Dr. Paul Grin and Dr. Eric Grin are certified specialists and are considered to be authoritative experts in their field, who are invited for consultations in controversial and particularly complicated cases. Both teach at UCLA, develop new methods of treatment, and are on the cutting edge of today’s science. From the moment patients cross the threshold of the clinic, they receive individualized attention from the entire staff: Blanca, Carmen, Elena and Ruth. The doctors conduct a complete assessment of each patient’s problems before developing the necessary course of treatment. Therefore, it is no coincidence that the treatment methods used in South Bay TMJ, Sleep, Headache and Orofacial Pain Institute are distinguished by a very high success rate.