I know it is not mere coincidence that Sleep Apnea keeps popping up in the news these days. It does seem that the more we talk to our patients here at Sheridan Dental about their sleep, and sleep apnea, the more our patients and my team and I read or hear about something to do with sleep.
I bring this up because of an article that came out or the Local paper about Ohioans not getting enough sleep. According to an Ohio Health issues poll more than one third of Ohio adults sleep six hours or less in a 24 hour period. For those of you out there in blog-land that don’t yet know…..for optimal health, the ideal amount of sleep is 7.5 hours in a 24 hour period. The implications of sleep deprivation are huge. Many studies have shown us that poor sleep habits can lead to hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression and obesity.
I think part of this problem is due to folks trying to squeeze another hour or two of productivity into their day. Getting up at the crack of dawn to exercise can be a great habit, and can lead to a much healthier life stile, but, not at the expense of the proper amount of sleep. Put a healthy “Sleep Plan” together along with the other changes you make to improve your health. Also, remember you may be sleeping an adequate amount of sleep and still not be getting good quality sleep due to sleep apnea. If you are over 40, overweight, overstressed, or being told “roll over!” because of your snoring, you may have sleep apnea. If you are unsure or want to test the possibilities just contact us and we will point you in the right direction.
