At least 40 million Americans suffer from chronic, long-term sleep disorders each year. The majority of these conditions can result in sleep deprivation, which interferes with work, driving, and academics.
What is Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a common disorder in which you have intermittent breathing disturbances while you sleep. These breathing pauses can last anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes. They might occur 30 times or more in an hour. Typically, normal breathing starts again, oftentimes with a loud choking sound or snort.
As a result of these breathing interruptions, the quality of your sleep is poor, which leads to a host of other consequences such as:
- Daytime fatigue
- Irritability
- Morning headache
- Difficulty paying attention while awake
- Insomnia (difficulty staying asleep)
- Awakening with a dry mouth
If sleep apnea is left untreated, there are health complications that may arise:
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Hypertension
- Impotence
- Arrhythmia
- Stroke
At North Texas Sleep Solutions, Dr. Lauck provides a Quick Self Check to determine whether you have a sleep disorder and are in need of further care.