Sleep is an important part of life. It’s how our bodies repair themselves after a long day’s work, stitching together our muscles and bolstering our immune system so we can wake up and do it all over again. When we don’t get enough sleep the results can be felt in everything we do. We lose concentration over even basic tasks. We struggle to remember important dates. We become irritable and despondent around friends. Without a steady sleep pattern your quality of life can take a significant hit, making it feel like you can’t get back to the way you used to be again. If you’ve found yourself wondering if you have a sleep disorder but aren’t sure where to start with symptoms, the below list can give you a better idea.
Sleep Apnea
An incredibly common sleep disorder that often requires the aid of medical equipment is that of sleep apnea. One in five adults is estimated to have mild obstructive sleep apnea, with one in 15 having either moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea. This is a condition characterized by sleep disordered breathing, causing people to wake up repeatedly throughout the night and miss out on their vital, regular REM cycle. The prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea is rather similar to asthma, the latter of which has 20 million sufferers across the country.
Chronic Insomnia
Perhaps sleep apnea doesn’t quite describe your symptoms. Perhaps you find yourself either struggling to fall asleep or struggling to stay asleep on a regular basis. Known as insomnia, this condition causes many people to miss out on sleep due to the perceived impossibility of simply falling asleep and remaining that way consistently. This condition is often affected by untreated mental illness and severe stress, able to affect individuals for weeks at a time. CPAP supplies are a form of medical equipment used to treat a number of sleep disorders including insomnia.
Severe Hypertension
It’s important to seek out immediate help if you suspect you have hypertension. Also known as abnormally high blood pressure, this condition can eventually lead to heart disease, heart attack and even stroke if not checked. High blood pressure can cause major stress in day-to-day life and lead to incidents of sleep disordered breathing. It’s estimated as low as 30% and as high as 80% of all patients with hypertension also have sleep apnea. Not only does this affect a person’s health, it can even affect others’ safety. Treating all American drivers who suffer from sleep apnea would save over $11 billion on damages.
General Anxiety
Unchecked stress and anxiety can deal a real number on your sleep patterns and leave you feeling sluggish day in and day out. Anxiety is characterized by racing thoughts, nervousness, negative emotions and difficulty socializing or managing day-to-day tasks. This can then manifest in physical ways, such as struggling to fall asleep, being overly fatigued, feeling nauseous and even breaking out into hives. Whether or not medical equipment can assist you in reducing your symptoms can be better determined by a professional diagnosis. Remember to keep track of your sleepless nights and symptoms so their analysis can be as accurate as possible.
Treating Your Sleep Disorder Today
Whether you struggle from chronic insomnia or hypertension, it’s time to use the resources around you to treat your condition. Medical supplies such as a home oxygen system or CPAP pillows can assist with moderate to severe sleep apnea, allowing you to sleep uninterrupted for hours on end. Studies have shown that at least six hours of CPAP usage every night is needed to reduce long-term health effects, though using it for longer can put an even deeper dent in daytime sleepiness and sluggishness. There’s no reason to feel as if your condition is untreatable. Contact a sleep professional for medical equipment and see how you can finally achieve a great night’s sleep again.