Getting enough of this one thing can be life saving and life changing. Can you guess what it is? If you guessed sleep, you’re right! Sleep is an incredibly important part of life and it is so important that without it we literally cannot function.
Headlines frequently make the news about the dangers of not getting enough sleep such as the possible connection to heart problems and Alzheimers. But we don’t talk enough about the benefits of getting a good night’s rest and why treating obstructive sleep apnea is so important!
Did you know getting enough sleep can be life changing in that it improves your brain performance, mood, and health? According to the National Institute of Health, or NIH, sleep helps prepare your brain to learn, remember, and create. Not to mention everything from blood vessels to the immune system uses sleep as a time for repair. Can you imagine what happens when we interrupt that all night long when we suffer from something like sleep apnea?
Healthy sleep patterns improve learning, memory, creativity, and mood according to the National Sleep Foundation. Getting enough sleep can be life changing and healthy sleep can also help strengthen the immune system and make it easier to stay on a healthier diet.
So, what is a healthy sleep pattern?
Sleep is a complicated process, made even more complex by our addiction to screens and late night snacking that keeps our brains and digestive systems in high gear late into the night. The Sleep Foundation says, “You will reap the greatest benefits from sleep when you get enough hours of sleep each night, have sleep that is relatively uninterrupted, and maintain a consistent sleep schedule suiting your natural circadian rhythms.”
The recommendation is that most healthy adults get between 7 to 9 hours of uninterrupted, quality sleep per night. This means you should be cycling through all four stages of sleep with no interruptions. People with sleep apnea suffer from brief partial wake ups due to pauses in breathing during the night. Sleep duration for these individuals often seems normal, but because they experience interruptions in sleep, they suffer from the effects of sleep deprivation.
If you feel your sleep is not restful, your partner says you snore or you feel you may be suffering from sleep apnea, please don’t wait. Give our office a call so we can help you sleep better sooner. You can also book an appointment online here.
