Upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS)
Exhausted but told your sleep test was "normal"? UARS is the diagnosis that often gets missed.
Upper airway resistance syndrome, or UARS, is a sleep-breathing problem where the airway narrows enough to disturb your sleep without fully stopping your breathing, so it's easy to miss on a sleep test. Dr. Ashlee Goodman-Tabari, who treats her own UARS with an oral appliance, sees patients for it in Glen Allen.
About upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS)
When you don’t stop breathing, but you’re still struggling
Upper airway resistance syndrome is a sleep-disordered breathing problem where your airway narrows enough to make breathing harder, without fully stopping the way it does in sleep apnea. You may not register on a basic test as having apnea, yet your oxygen levels still dip and your sleep is still disrupted.
Why it’s so often missed
Because you don’t technically stop breathing, UARS can be overlooked, and people are told everything is fine even though they feel exhausted, foggy, or anxious. Dr. Goodman-Tabari knows this one personally, she has UARS herself and treats it with an oral appliance, which shapes how closely she looks for it in patients.
How we find and treat it
It takes a careful look at your airway and the right kind of testing to catch UARS. Once it’s identified, a custom oral appliance can open your airway and support your breathing through the night, so your oxygen stays steady and you finally get the restorative sleep you’ve been missing.
What you can count on
Attention to a condition that’s easy to miss
Firsthand understanding from your provider
A careful look at your airway
Oral appliance therapy that helps
What patients ask us
My sleep test was normal but I’m always tired. What now?
You may have upper airway resistance syndrome, where your breathing is strained without fully stopping. It can be missed on a basic reading. A closer look at your airway and the right testing can find it, and it’s treatable with an oral appliance.
How is UARS different from sleep apnea?
With sleep apnea you actually stop breathing; with UARS your airway narrows and makes breathing harder, but doesn’t fully stop. Both disrupt your sleep and drop your oxygen, and both can be treated.
Can an oral appliance help UARS?
Yes. An oral appliance holds your airway open so your breathing isn’t strained through the night. It’s the same approach that treats mild to moderate apnea, applied to the narrowing that causes UARS.
More questions, answered
What symptoms does UARS cause besides fatigue?
Beyond exhaustion, upper airway resistance syndrome can cause insomnia, frequent waking, anxiety, brain fog, headaches, cold hands and feet, and low blood pressure. Because these seem unrelated, UARS is often missed for years. Recognizing the pattern is the first step toward finally getting answers.
Can UARS turn into sleep apnea?
It can. Upper airway resistance syndrome and sleep apnea sit on the same spectrum of airway problems, and untreated UARS may progress toward apnea over time. Addressing it early can help protect your sleep and health before the airway narrowing becomes more serious.
Why did my regular sleep study miss my UARS?
Standard scoring focuses on full pauses in breathing, and with UARS you don't fully stop, so basic readings can look normal even though your sleep is disrupted. Catching it takes a careful look at your airway and attention to subtler signs, which is where our focus helps.
What happens at my first visit if you think I have UARS?
We start by listening. At your consultation in Glen Allen, we go over your symptoms and sleep history, take a digital scan, and Dr. Goodman-Tabari does a head and neck exam to look closely at your airway. When you’re ready, we arrange an at-home sleep study, and a sleep physician reads the results.
Is UARS treatment billed through medical insurance?
Yes. Like sleep apnea care, UARS treatment runs through your medical insurance, not dental, and coverage depends on your plan and your diagnosis. Our Glen Allen team verifies your benefits before treatment and walks you through what to expect, and financing through Cherry is available if you’d like to spread out the cost.
Related care
Ready to stop guessing about your sleep?
If you snore, wake up tired, or have been told you stop breathing at night, the first step is simple. Call us and we will get you scheduled.