Our mission is to show patients how to change their life through better sleep
We want to increase access to sleep evaluation and treatment so that more people feel better every day.
Nick Koogler DDS D.ABDSM
After graduating with a bachelor’s of science degree in Biology from Denison University, Dr. Koogler continued his schooling at The Ohio State University College of Dentistry to earn his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree. He spent several years treating patients with TMJ problems, sleep apnea, and airway-focused orthodontics to improve breathing. Dr. Koogler started the Washington Center for Sleep to help change the lives of his patients and to increase the access to sleep treatment. Dr. Koogler is a Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine.
My Story
For as far back as I can remember, I always had breathing issues. I thought it was normal to breathe through my mouth, snore, wake up with a dry mouth, and never feel rested. I thought I was working so hard or always staying up late that being tired was normal.
The older I got, the more exhausted I became. Coffee got me through dental school but once I started working in the real world seeing patients for 10-12 hours a day I just couldn’t catch up on sleep, despite sleeping for 12-14 hours on the weekends. I just started to accept that I was always going to feel tired.
I remember the first lecture of my 2-year long Orthodontic/TMJ mini-residency continuing education program that taught me all about child airway development. I sat in the front row with my jaw on the floor as the instructor reviewed my entire life history: all of the issues that lead to poor facial and airway development in children and how those manifest as more serious health problems later in life. I was in shock.
Despite being a dentist and having been working on patients for a number of years, I never knew how the teeth, lips, tongue and jaws affected the airway in such a serious way. I felt overwhelmed with the amount of information and over the next several years continued to learn more about how important the airway is and how to improve it.
Like any true scientist, I began by experimenting on myself. If I was going to recommend treatment to patients, I wanted to know it worked on myself first. At first I tried lip taping every night and found out how much more rested I felt in the mornings. Next, I tried practicing proper rest oral posture, or keeping your tongue suctioned to the roof of your mouth at all times and always breathing through your nose. Due to my diagnosis of mild obstructive sleep apnea, I got an oral sleep appliance to hold my lower jaw forward so that I could breathe all night while I sleep. I also began walking every day right after I woke up. Needless to say, I was starting to feel pretty good, and for the first time in my life I actually felt rested.
As I became more and more consistent in my new sleep habits I noticed how other areas of my life improved. By getting better sleep, I was able to better focus on my waking life and actively live the life I wanted. What’s more, the people around me started to notice a difference. My wife was happy to see me have energy to play with our kids and to not fall asleep right after dinner. I was able to spend more quality time with the most important people in my life. I was actively setting myself up for the future success of my own long-term health by reducing my risk of a heart attack or stroke due to poor sleep.
My own journey to get better sleep is what led me to start the Washington Center for Sleep. I spent years figuring out how to get better sleep and I don’t want my patients to have the same experience. I want to show patients how to change their lives through better sleep and avoid more serious long-term health problems associated with poor sleep.
With more than 80% of sleep issues going undiagnosed, I want to help as many people as possible get better sleep. Imagine a world where an untold number of people get better sleep, live better lives, and are happier every day. I’ve been called a Dreamer, but I know I’m not the only one…so reach out by filling out the form below, and let me know how I can help you get the better sleep you deserve.
Let me help you get better sleep
info@wasleep.com
(425) 209-0700
Seattle Location
500 E Howell St.
Seattle WA 98122
Bellevue Location
40 Lake Bellevue, Suite 250
Bellevue WA 98005