Many people experience some occasional difficulty sleeping
and/or daytime fatigue. But how do you know if your sleep problem is
temporary and can be fixed with some simple behavioral changes, or if it
is a legitimate disorder such as snoring, sleep apnea, sinusitis or
nasal obstruction that should be diagnosed and treated properly?
That is one of the most common questions we get here at Eos Sleep.
The first thing you can do is take an honest look at your lifestyle habits. Are you watching TV or on the computer too close to bedtime? Consuming too much caffeine during the day? Taking a medication with sleep-related side effects? Is there something particularly stressful going on in your life that needs to be addressed? Are you exercising enough to help relieve tension and anxiety? The good news is that many sleep “issues” can be remedied by making some common sense behavioral changes.
However—and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention it at this point—persistent sleep problems left untreated can lead to myriad health problem, including memory and concentration problems, increased risk of high blood pressure, hypertension, stroke and heart attacks, depression, diabetes and sexual dysfunction. Severe cases of sleep apnea can even be fatal.
Besides these sobering health risks, an untreated sleep disorder can also be the root cause of poor performance at work or school, car accidents and other activities that require focus and concentration.
New research is exposing the societal risk that can result from untreated sleep apnea and other sleep disorders. The National Sleep Foundation’s 2012 “Sleep in America” poll, which focused in on the sleep habits and performance of transportation workers, states that about one in 10 Americans are likely to fall asleep at an inappropriate time and place, such as during a meeting or while driving.
Other results of the study: About one-fourth of polled train operators (26%) and pilots (23%) admit that sleepiness has affected their job performance at least once a week, compared to about one in six non-transportation workers (17%).
Even more concerning: One in five pilots (20%) admit that they have made a serious error and one in six train operators (18%) and truck drivers (14%) say that they have had a “near miss” due to sleepiness.
The numbers are in: Sleep problems are prevalent in our society, and people need to wake up (no pun intended) to the symptoms and risks associated with them. Some common symptoms of sleep disorders include:
• Trouble falling asleep at night
• Waking throughout the night
• Chronic snoring
• Morning headaches
• Poor memory
• Daytime sleepiness/falling asleep during the day/low energy
• Bad moods/irritability
• Increased depression
• Trouble concentrating/driving/making decisions
Keep in mind that symptoms vary between disorders, whether it’s snoring, sleep apnea, insomnia, restless leg syndrome, nasal obstruction, narcolepsy or some other sleep disorder, so it pays to do some research based on what you are personally experiencing. If you experiencing one or more of the above symptoms on a regular basis—meaning, more than once in a blue moon—it is imperative that you see a qualified sleep doctor, and get diagnosed and treated properly. The good news is there are multiple options and minimally invasive techniques available today to treat your sleep disorder.
That is one of the most common questions we get here at Eos Sleep.
The first thing you can do is take an honest look at your lifestyle habits. Are you watching TV or on the computer too close to bedtime? Consuming too much caffeine during the day? Taking a medication with sleep-related side effects? Is there something particularly stressful going on in your life that needs to be addressed? Are you exercising enough to help relieve tension and anxiety? The good news is that many sleep “issues” can be remedied by making some common sense behavioral changes.
However—and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention it at this point—persistent sleep problems left untreated can lead to myriad health problem, including memory and concentration problems, increased risk of high blood pressure, hypertension, stroke and heart attacks, depression, diabetes and sexual dysfunction. Severe cases of sleep apnea can even be fatal.
Besides these sobering health risks, an untreated sleep disorder can also be the root cause of poor performance at work or school, car accidents and other activities that require focus and concentration.
New research is exposing the societal risk that can result from untreated sleep apnea and other sleep disorders. The National Sleep Foundation’s 2012 “Sleep in America” poll, which focused in on the sleep habits and performance of transportation workers, states that about one in 10 Americans are likely to fall asleep at an inappropriate time and place, such as during a meeting or while driving.
Other results of the study: About one-fourth of polled train operators (26%) and pilots (23%) admit that sleepiness has affected their job performance at least once a week, compared to about one in six non-transportation workers (17%).
Even more concerning: One in five pilots (20%) admit that they have made a serious error and one in six train operators (18%) and truck drivers (14%) say that they have had a “near miss” due to sleepiness.
The numbers are in: Sleep problems are prevalent in our society, and people need to wake up (no pun intended) to the symptoms and risks associated with them. Some common symptoms of sleep disorders include:
• Trouble falling asleep at night
• Waking throughout the night
• Chronic snoring
• Morning headaches
• Poor memory
• Daytime sleepiness/falling asleep during the day/low energy
• Bad moods/irritability
• Increased depression
• Trouble concentrating/driving/making decisions
Keep in mind that symptoms vary between disorders, whether it’s snoring, sleep apnea, insomnia, restless leg syndrome, nasal obstruction, narcolepsy or some other sleep disorder, so it pays to do some research based on what you are personally experiencing. If you experiencing one or more of the above symptoms on a regular basis—meaning, more than once in a blue moon—it is imperative that you see a qualified sleep doctor, and get diagnosed and treated properly. The good news is there are multiple options and minimally invasive techniques available today to treat your sleep disorder.
