The traditional 9-5 work day has shifted for many people. Now, it’s common for people to work night shifts or ‘graveyard shifts’ from 11pm – 7am, which drastically increases the likelihood of crashes.
If you suffer from daytime tiredness and always feel unrefreshed, you may have Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) – a sleep condition which disturbs your breathing during sleep.
Sleep is a basic human necessity, despite how often we push it to the side. Study after study has shown that our sleep is intrinsically linked to our overall health – here’s 5 ways your sleep habits could be affecting your health.
A new report in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine has revealed the astounding impact of sleep disorders on the U.S. Health care system. Sleep problems cost the system close to $95 billion a year, and increase health care costs by 60%. Researcher Dr. Neil Bhattacharyya says, “Our estimates are likely low, considering we know there are a large number of patients not yet diagnosed with a disorder like sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome and insomnia.”
For adults suffering from Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), how consistently you use your CPAP machine could have a significant effect on your weight, not just your sleep. Researchers have found that patients who used CPAP for 5 hours or less per night had an increased BMI compared to patients who used CPAP for more than 5 hours per night. You can view more details of the study here: https://bit.ly/33romtE
Many people find it difficult to stay asleep during the night. You might brush it off, but studies show that frequent disruptions to sleep can seriously affect your health – particularly in women.
Studies have shown that your sleeping position may have an impact on your health, especially those with pre-existing heart conditions.
Taking care of your sleep apnea also means you are taking care of your brain. Sleep apnea is a chronic sleep disorder that involves repetitive pauses in your breathing during sleep. These pauses in your breathing reduce the oxygen flow to your brain, leading to a range of health problems.
According to the American College of Greece, approximately half of the male population have sleep apnea as opposed to one in five women.
