Americans are among the most overworked people on earth, and
some of the least rested. Insufficient sleep, while a drag on productivity, can
also become a health concern. Glucose levels can rise if sleep is frequently
interrupted or if stress levels during sleep remain high. And bad glucose
readings can result in a diabetes diagnosis you don’t want.
In as many as 18 million Americans, the cause of
insufficient sleep is an actual disorder. It’s called obstructive sleep apnea,
or OSA. This disorder interrupts sleep with little breathing accidents,
called apneas. For many of them, you stop breathing entirely, causing the brain
to startle you awake. This can be terrifying, or as commonly as the need to get
up to urinate. While getting up to urinate can be a marker of sleep apnea, know
that you’re getting up for the wrong reason (urination) and not simply because
your airflow was deprived.
Despite an array of risk pools—obesity, being male, being
middle-aged, being alcoholic—sleep apnea can be hard to diagnose. The symptoms,
at least, are clear and may include any or all of the following: multiple
wakeups per night, morning headaches or sore throat, drowsiness or fatigue
during the day, reduced concentration, irritability, and lowered libido.
Many physicians prefer to observe sleep patterns up close
before their determination. To do this, they may commission a sleep
study—either in a clinic, or at home. This process is called polysomnography
and is used to diagnose sleep disorders across the board—REM sleep behavior
disorder, sleepwalking, insomnia, restless legs syndrome. It’s also very
reliable in picking a treatment course for sleep apnea patients.
With
the help of your at-home or clinical test, we can put you on the road to
recovery, with better sleep and better health. Even if it’s only a lifestyle
fix—eating better and/or losing weight—getting a diagnosis is the first step
toward managing a subtle and disruptive health issue.
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