San Francisco is a busy town! It’s not New York City but it is a “city that never sleeps,” which is great if you want to party, but not so great if you work at a start-up or have a high-power job. 
One cause of sleeplessness: sleep apnea. If you have sleep apnea, you may not even know it.
One of the symptoms of sleep apnea in San Francisco is snoring. 40 million Americans suffer from snoring, but not all of them have sleep apnea. However, if you often feel tired during the day or you have trouble concentrating at work, you may have seep apnea in San Francisco. Does your partner complain about your snoring?
There are other risk factors as well. You may have a family history of snoring. If you are male you are more likely to snore and suffer sleep apnea than a woman, although snoring in women does increase after the menopause. Being overweight and using sedatives or alcohol can also cause a risk. Nasal congestion is also a factor.
Potentially Life-Threatening; Surgery May be Advised
Sleep apnea can lead to other conditions such as memory loss and breathing problems. You may possibly stop breathing while asleep: obviously you won’t know this, but your partner may have witnessed it. There is also a risk of weight gain, impotence, and hypertension which can lead to heart disease. Indeed, sleep apnea is a potentially life-threatening condition.
The first thing to do if you think that you may be suffering from sleep apnea is to make an appointment to see our Dr Alex Rabinovich, who is an expert on the subject. He can examine you at our state-of-the-art office in the Financial District to ascertain whether or not you are indeed suffering from sleep apnea. He will conduct an oral examination, X-rays, and a discussion about your issues. He can then customise a plan for you which may possibly include a sleep expert with whom he works on sleep apnea issues. Our office is convenient to San Francisco downtown, and – let’s face it – many insomniacs have high-powered jobs in downtown SF. Coincidence? We think not.
The good news is that treatment may be as simple as working on a weight loss plan or the use of an oral appliance overnight. It may possibly require a minor outpatient procedure which Dr Rabinovich can do in the office under local anesthetic. In patients with severe sleep apnea, it may be necessary to reposition the jawbone with orthognathic surgery.
However, the important thing if you believe you may be suffering from sleep apnea is not to leave it as it can lead to further conditions which can be life-threatening. Make an appointment with Dr Rabinovich by clicking on the Contact Us link at the top of the page. His examination is free of charge.