Happy New Year!

Why better sleep should be your New Year's Resolution.

A new year brings excitement and the hope to spark positive change. A recurring theme each year among the millions of people making New Year's resolutions is better health and fitness. Most lists include things like "lose weight" and "exercise more", but ideally overall wellness should be a priority. This can be overwhelming because overall wellness requires attention to multiple dimensions. It takes time and effort to find the balance in exercise, diet, work, and personal lives. But did you know that restorative sleep is often the missing puzzle piece that is keeping people from seeing and feeling the results of their resolutions?

Giving your body time to recover from the stressors of the day and prepare for the next day is important, but might not be as easy as you think. Implementing a sleep routine and maintaining a tranquil environment are positive steps that can make a difference. As helpful as good sleep hygiene is, not everyone is getting the rest that they need, therefore not getting the restoration their body requires. This is where the signs and symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea become evident and start inhibiting their New Years resolutions for better health. 

What is sleep apnea?

Obstructive sleep apnea is a sleep related breathing disorder that causes the patient to stop breathing at various times throughout the night due to a partial or complete blockage in the airway that impedes the natural flow of breathing. There are studies that have shown that patients usually have pauses in normal breathing hundreds of times each night, each episode lasting up to 30 seconds. So how do you know if you are not actually sleeping during the hours you spend in bed?  

The signs and symptoms of sleep apnea can include:

  • Snoring 

  • Morning Headaches

  • Gasping, choking, or snorting during sleep

  • Teeth grinding

  • Daytime sleepiness

  • Fatigue

  • Reduced exercise capacity 

  • Weight gain or inability to lose weight

  • Acid Reflux 

  • Uncontrollable high blood pressure 

  • Waking up with a dry mouth

Obstructive sleep apnea will not only decrease your motivation to go to the gym, but your overall quality of life. Potential health issues from untreated sleep apnea go beyond not reaching fitness goals. Heart attack, stroke, obesity, depression, inability to concentrate, and impaired memory are just a few of the common health issues correlated with untreated sleep apnea. 

If you think you are getting enough sleep at night, but you do not feel like it, the odds are that you are experiencing sleep apnea. If you would like to learn more about getting tested for sleep apnea or the dental solution that we offer for this medical problem, request a free consultation. 

Let us help you make this year, your best one yet!

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