When you break down all the things people need to live a decent healthy life, there really aren’t that many requirements. Enough food, enough water, enough air, and enough sleep. Food, water, and air are obvious. But sleep is still being studied by medical science, and it is still not completely understood. One thing that is certain, though, is that without sufficient sleep every night, you are opening yourself up to host of medical problems.
Food, water and air are very well understood. A low fat, good carbohydrate diet, a water source free from contamination, and air that is not tainted by second hand smoke are all understood to be necessary for proper human health. But what about sleep? How do we know if the sleep we are getting every night is good quality, or bad quality? The truth is that sleep is still a relatively new field of science in western medicine.
We know that there are different phases of sleep that we go through each night. It’s generally accepted that there are four phases, the most widely know being REM when dreaming occurs. Even dreams, why we dream, and what impact they have on mental and physical health is still hotly contested among scientists.
There are many things that can interfere with a good nights sleep. Noise, light, too much alcohol, not enough to eat can all cause problems. There is one condition, though that is not only widespread, but all too often overlooked by those that suffer from it. This condition is sleep apnea. Apnea is when you stop breathing, for whatever reason, while you are sleeping. If this happens often enough, it can literally destroy any chance you have of getting a good nights sleep. Of course, this happens while you are sleeping, so many people don’t remember the next day, and therefore aren’t aware of the problem.
One recommended way to check to see if you have sleep apnea is to keep a sleep journal. Simply write down as much information as you can as soon as you wake up. How long you slept, how often you woke during the night, how many times you woke up to urinate. This information can be very helpful should you need to visit your physician. The more data you present, the easier it will be for them to diagnose your problem.
Sleep apnea is a debilitating condition if gone undetected. The good news is that with a little bit of effort, you and your doctor can get to the bottom of it, and easily cure it, giving you the freedom to get the healthy sleep you need.
If you think you may have , visit the sleep resource page today.