Research & Publications

The 13 Benefits of a Good Night's Sleep

Date Posted: Saturday, April 30th, 2016 by Alan Berger

Poor sleep can leave you tired during the day but, if it's frequent, it can be extremely detrimental to your health.

A good night's sleep can:

1. Help you look better
2. Improve your memory
3. Help you live longer
4. Reduce inflammation that can lead to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, arthritis, and premature aging
5. Trigger your creative juices
6. Improve performance at work, in the classroom, and on the athletic field
7. Improve your grades by piquing attention and learning curves
8. Help you to lose weight well rested dieters lose fat, sleep deprived dieters lose muscle mass
9. Reduce stress levels
10. Improve your driving skills
11. Reduce irritability
12. Reduce despression
13. Reduce anxiety

For close to 25 million adults living in the US, poor sleep habits are caused by sleep apnea which is a disease that interrupts your breathing up to a potential of hundreds of times a night during a range of 10 60 seconds at a time. Thus, it is no surprise that poor sleep and sleep apnea can lead to serious health problems.

Symptoms of Sleep Apnea

Loud and frequent snoring
Loud and frequent snoring is the most obvious sign that you have sleep apnea. Snoring occurs when the soft tissue in your upper airway vibrates as you breathe which is indicative of your airway being partially blocked.

Fatigue
It's logical, isn't it? If your sleep is interrupted by a crying baby or sleep apnea, you will feel fatigued and sleepy the next day. Studies have shown that a common telltale sign of sleep apnea in an adult is falling asleep at the wheel.

Heartburn
Frequent heartburn during the day and at night is also a telltale indicator of sleep apnea. Sleep and Breathing performed a study indicating that heartburn was reduced as patients were successfully treated for sleep apnea.

Forgetfulness
Disruption of your sleeping pattern can also disrupt your memory.

Acute sensitivity or depression
Sleep disruption can negatively affect your mood and can result in depression.

How to Treat Sleep Apnea

Get diagnozed
If you think that you, your spouse, a loved one, or a friend is suffering from sleep apnea, the first thing to do is to schedule an appointment with a sleep specialist who will schedule a home sleep apnea test or a sleep study. If the results prove that you do have sleep apnea, the testing proves that you do suffer from sleep apnea, the sleep specialist may prescribe a CPAP device (continuous positive airway pressure therapy) or an oral appliance (mouth guard custom made by your dentist).