Wake Up to the Serious Health Risks of Sleep Problems

Millions of Americans suffer from sleep disorders, with sleep problems afflicting 24% of men and 9% of women. But sadly, a whopping 99% simply close their eyes to their dangerous sleep problems instead of seeking sleep disorder treatment. But sleep problems do much more than cause too many sleepless nights. For example, one of the most under-diagnosed sleep disorders is sleep apnea, which causes long pauses and shallow breathing while sleeping that can lead to an abnormal flow of oxygen for a life-threatening amount of time. Fortunately, sleep specialists say that many types of sleep disorders can be easily and successfully treated, but only if people seek professional help. MD Now wants sufferers to recognize that they have a problem and seek the sleep disorder treatment they need. 

Open Your Eyes to the Dangers of Different Types of Sleep Disorders

Undiagnosed sleep disorders can threaten your health and your life, causing heart attacks, strokes, and high blood pressure, with some cases being lethal.

According to medical experts, sleep disorders range from merely having trouble falling and staying asleep, to obvious snoring and choking while asleep, to barely detectable issues like long periods without air. While all sleep disorders are serious, sleep apnea is the problem at the top of the sleep disorders list because it places severe stress on the heart through an erratic flow of oxygen.

Stay Up on the Sleep Disorders List of Symptoms

Many sleep apnea sufferers tend to be overweight, so the sleep disorders list of symptoms they suffer, like fatigue and lack of focus, are often either ignored or wrongly attributed to depression. As a result, they don’t know they have a problem and fail to seek the sleep disorder treatment they need. Complicating treatment even further is the fact that women often experience completely different or less noticeable symptoms than men. Men tend to suffer from persistent snoring and choking while asleep, yet women usually report general fatigue, anxiety, morning headaches, trouble falling or staying asleep, leg cramps, and early-morning awakenings. And most of these symptoms signal some other health issue.

While much confusion continues about sleep disorders, healthcare experts say that the overall number of diagnoses has risen in recent decades as more and more people seek relief. This has led to advances in sleep disorder treatment. The only way to truly know if you have a sleep problem is by talking to a medical professional and getting the appropriate tests. Sleep disorder treatment has come so far that most sufferers treated today have a very good chance of having good nights again.