Trouble Sleeping? Tell a Doctor

By Ben Glass, Esquire

Benjamin W. Glass and Associates

. https://www.benglasslaw.com/

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Trouble Sleeping? Tell a Doctor

Research by the Institute of Medicine finds an estimated 50 to 70 million U.S. adults have a sleep disorder. It has also been found that despite needing seven to nine hours of sleep daily, nearly 30% of adults report an average of six or fewer hours of sleep per day.

Persons experiencing poor sleep are more likely to suffer from chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, depression, cancer and weight gain as well as reduced quality of life and productivity. In addition, about one of every five serious car crash injuries in this country is associated with driver sleepiness.

A common symptom of a sleep disorder is still feeling tired and not refreshed even after you think you had a good sleep. If you're sleepy after a full night in bed, chances are something is happening to prevent your body and brain from entering those deep, restorative levels of sleep.

While snoring is not often harmful to your body, it can be a warning sign for sleep apnea – a dangerous condition in which your airway becomes obstructed and you stop breathing in your sleep.

Frequently having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep are other signs of a possible serious sleep disorders.

Although it might seem obvious that a person should let his or her health care provider know if he or she is having problems sleeping, the majority of people suffering from a sleep disorder don't seek help. Unfortunately, there is a perception that poor sleep is just a fact of life. Individuals either assume that their poor sleep is meant to be that way or that the problem will go away on its own.

If a person has difficulty sleeping, it is essential to determine what is causing the problem. Therefore, anyone suffering more than a few weeks from poor sleep should tell a primary care provider or a sleep medicine specialist. Once properly diagnosed, most sleep problems can be solved with lifestyle changes, medication or other treatments.

More information on sleep disorders is available on the National Sleep Foundation's website www.sleepfoundation.org.