Americans are getting less sleep than ever before. Our fast- paced lifestyle, stress, work and other daily tasks leave little time for a full night's rest. Even the sleep that people do get often does little to properly rejuvenate the body. The pressures and anxieties of everyday life still weigh heavy on our minds right up to the point before falling asleep.
At least 40 million Americans each year suffer from chronic, long-term sleep disorders and an additional 20 million experience occasional sleeping problems.
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders (NIND), a common and extremely prevalent condition known as sleep apnea affects over 18 million citizens. That is one in 17 people in this country, making this disorder as widespread as diabetes or asthma. What’s worse, between 85-90 percent of those affected by sleep apnea are either undiagnosed or untreated. This frighteningly high number of untreated cases of the disorder costs our healthcare system just under $22 billion annually, as those 16 million with undiagnosed sleep apnea cost an average of $1,366 more for healthcare per person than regular sleepers.
So what is sleep apnea? Sleep apnea is categorized as pauses in breathing during sleep and usually occurs in association with fat buildup or loss of muscle tone with aging. The NIND states that during an episode of obstructive apnea, the person's effort to inhale air creates suction that collapses the windpipe. This blocks the airflow for 10 seconds to a minute while the sleeping person struggles to breathe. When the person's blood oxygen level falls, the brain responds by awakening the person enough to tighten the upper airway muscles and open the windpipe. The person may snort or gasp, then resume snoring. This cycle may be repeated hundreds of times in a single night.
The results from this erratic sleep behavior are unpleasant to say the least. Depression, anxiety, irritability, irregular heartbeats, loss of sex drive, high blood pressure and an increased risk for heart attack or stroke are all common problems associated with sleep apnea. In addition to these medical conditions, those suffering from chronic sleep apnea are two to three times more likely to be involved in an automobile collision than the general population.
As with many illnesses, taking preventative measures and having the proper tests best serve you to determine whether or not you have this disorder. Specialized sleep centers or doctors can give you a polysomnography, which is a test that records a patient's brain waves, heartbeat, and breathing during an entire night.
If you have sleep apnea, taking sleeping pills or sedatives poses a great risk to your health. These sleep aids may actually prevent your nervous system from waking you up to the point needed to catch your breath. A disease like this one, where symptoms can be deadly yet only occur in an unconscious state, is extremely dangerous. Proper amounts of sleep will improve your beauty and the way you feel. So if catching up on your sleep seems to be impossible, talk with your doctor about sleep apnea. It just may just save your life.
