Miami and Coral Gables, FL
Are you always feeling tired? Do you seem to be getting sick often, or just always feeling under the weather? Well, there’s a good chance these conditions actually are linked. Continuing medical research shows that living with consistent sleep loss can make you sick more often. Read on to learn more about this subject… after all, your health may depend on it!
Sleep deprivation has a host of negative consequences
You can learn more about the effects of living with sleep loss here. Generally speaking, though, consistent sleep loss makes you more likely to become sick, and you will take longer to recover from any illnesses. Over the long term, sleep deprivation also magnifies your risk factor for several chronic and even life-threatening ailments, including diabetes, cardiac disease, hypertension, and even certain forms of cancer.
Good sleep is pivotal to maintaining your immune system
When you sleep, your body may seem like it is resting, but it is hard at work. One of the duties performed during sleep is the production of proteins that are vital to the efficiency of the immune system. A good supply of these proteins helps protect you against the potential health risks associated with stress and inflammation, while also maximizing your immune system’s ability to fight off potential illness when you are exposed to bacteria and viruses.
Sleep deprivation is more widespread than you think
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that one out of every three adults in America does not get the recommended amount of sleep—an average of seven hours per night, for adults between the ages of 18 and 60 years old. However, when it comes to sleep, quality means more than quantity. In other words, getting six hours of deep uninterrupted sleep is preferable to eight or more hours of sleep that is interrupted.
If you have problems getting to sleep or staying asleep, you can take steps to improve your sleeping environment and your bedtime routine that could help improve your quality of rest.
These steps include:
- Keep the room as dark as possible, and invest in a comfortable mattress and pillow.
- Set the temperature of your bedroom between 60 and 67 degrees.
- Minimize distractions by keeping your bedroom free of technology: the light from screens on televisions, tablets, and cell phones can prevent your body from the natural processes that prepare you for sleep.
- Maintain a consistent bedtime seven days a week… yes, even on weekends.
Sleep loss could be a sign of a serious problem
Maybe you have implemented some of the steps listed above, but you still are feeling tired, no matter how early you go to bed. You may be suffering from obstructive sleep apnea, a serious sleep breathing disorder that impedes or totally interrupts breathing while you are asleep. The American Sleep Apnea Association estimates that 22 million people in this country suffer from sleep apnea. Left untreated, this disorder also magnifies the risk of so many potentially deadly diseases—while also making it difficult for you to function at your best and even making it hazardous to drive.
Sleep apnea dentistry in Miami
Your Miami dentists Dr. Raul Garcia and Dr. Conchi Sanchez-Garcia both have the unique training in the discipline of sleep apnea dentistry, which focuses on identifying and treating problems with the airway. They put their training to work, determine if you suffer from this sleep breathing disorder, and then providing relief—ideally through a course of oral appliance therapy, which entails wearing a customized mouthpiece that keeps an open airway during sleep, allowing you to get the deep rest you have been denied for far too long.
If you have been living with sleep loss, you owe it to yourself and your family to be screened for sleep apnea. Schedule your evaluation today by calling the office of Miami Designer Smiles at (305) 595-4616.
Miami Designer Smiles provides sleep apnea treatment in Miami and Coral Gables, Florida.