What does it mean to have healthy sleep?

Sleep isn't just a pause in your day. It's an essential part of you health and well-being. Getting a good night's sleep seems like it should be so easy. You just have to lie in bed and close your eyes. If only. In fact 1 in 3 Americans don't get enough sleep on a regular basis.

Why is sleep important?

It's easy to think of sleep as downtime. But your body and brain are actually hard at work. Important tasks that keep you healthy happen while you're sleeping. A good night's rest is about more than just being in bed for seven hours or so. The quality of sleep you get is also important. Sleep is when your body goes into fix-it mode.

Blood pressure and levels of stress hormones dip during the night. And blood sugar levels regulate. Plus, your brain uses sleep as a chance to organize information and memories from the day. But, when your body has trouble breathing, either because of snoring or apneas, the oxygen level in your blood starts to decrease. The body then responds with the "fight or flight" response causing an increase in blood pressure, and increased levels of the stress hormone called Cortisol. This response is not designed to last hours on end. Rather, as the name suggests, it's designed to help you survive. Stay and "fight" or leave the scene to survive, "flight". In short durations of increased heart rate and supporting hormone levels, this response works rather well. But, when the sympathetic switch is left on (a person with sleep apnea) the long-term effects of this response are unhealthy.

Adults with sleep-disordered breathing will often have some of the following symptoms:

• Waking up tired and unrefreshed, no matter how many hours of sleep you get, excessive daytime sleepiness or fatigue
• Insomnia-seems strange, but your body is actually trying to keep you awake so you don't stop breathing while asleep.
• Waking up frequently during the night to use the bathroom.
• While asleep, gasping for breath or pauses in breathing
• Waking up gasping or choking
• Heartburn or waking up with stomach acid in your mouth
• Frequent napping.
• Loss of interest in life, hobbies, and intimacy.
• High blood pressure
• Snoring loudly
• Morning headaches
• Trouble concentrating
• Depression & Anxiety
• Sleep difficulties

What about Children?

Identifying sleep-disordered breathing in children is crucial for their wellbeing and development.

If a child snores-AT ALL-they need to be evaluated for sleep-disordered breathing by a sleep professional. Children have some of the same symptoms as adults, but also have a few others as well. Watch for these in a child:

• Snoring
• Pauses in breathing during sleep
• Snorting, coughing or choking sounds
• Mouth breathing
• Bedwetting
• Sleep Terrors
• Restless sleeping
• Circles under the eyes (these can often look slightly pink or purplish)
• Grinding their teeth at night
• Hyperactivity/Attention Deficit Disorder