My wife says that I seem to have trouble breathing when I sleep. Can this cause me long-term harm?

A recent study found that Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) can take off years from a person's life expectancy. OSA is the cessation of breathing while sleeping because the path of airflow is blocked during respiration. It is estimated that more than 18 million Americans have OSA. Some of the more common signs or contributing factors are: snoring, being overweight, hypertension, diabetes, age, increased neck size (size 17 males and 16 females), morning headaches that soon disappear after waking up and constantly being sleepy during the day. A clinical exam may also reveal a large tongue or a narrow palate or mandible. If you think that you may have OSA it is very important that you seek a screening exam from a qualified health care provider. For a screening call 1-800-4-Braces.