San Francisco, Marin, and Oakland, CA
You can eat right, exercise, and avoid bad habits, but to be in peak physical and mental health, you have to make sure you get the right amount of quality sleep. We all experience a night of little or no sleep from time to time, and when this happens, you probably try to compensate by going to bed early the next day or sleeping in over the weekend. Does this actually work? In this article, your San Francisco dentists at Glen Park Dental explore the concept of catching up on lost sleep and whether it actually pays off or not.
Learn the causes of sleep loss
Lost sleep can stem from several of these factors, or a combination:
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Your work schedule
- Caring for children or other sick family members
- Insomnia
- Poor diet
- Lack of exercise
- Underlying health problems
Your sleep loss also might be caused by sleep apnea, a serious sleep breathing disorder that occurs when the airway becomes impeded or completely blocked when you sleep.
So, does making up for lost sleep work?
Lots of people sleep in on the weekends after pushing hard and not getting the proper amount of rest during the week. We hate to break it to you, but this doesn’t work. Once you have a night of little to no sleep, you can’t make it up. One short night might leave you groggy the next day. Several nights of restless or minimal sleep can affect your mood, memory, and cognitive ability. Over the long haul, sleep loss becomes sleep deprivation, potentially leading to chronic fatigue and even cognitive decline.
When it comes to sleep, it’s important to remember that quality matters more than quantity. Getting six or so hours of deep, restful sleep is preferable to eight-plus hours of more erratic or disrupted sleep. If you have sleep apnea, you’re not getting the deep sleep you need to rejuvenate your mind and body. That’s because every time you experience an airway blockage, otherwise known as an apneic event, it disrupts the sleep cycle as your brain signals the body to resume normal breathing. The consequences of this poor sleep add up, which is why people with sleep apnea always feel fatigued, also often reporting irritability, unexplainable mood swings, and difficulty concentrating.
How can you improve your sleep?
You can start by trying to change your routine or lower the amount of stress in your day-to-day life. If sleep apnea is causing your sleep loss, though, no home remedy or lifestyle change is going to suffice long-term. Sleep apnea is a serious disorder that requires treatment from a qualified medical professional. Glen Park Dental offers sleep apnea treatment, a specialization of dental science that focuses on airway management. In many cases, we can treat sleep apnea through a course of oral appliance therapy, providing you with a customized oral appliance made to fit your mouth for maximum effectiveness and comfort. When worn, this appliance guides the lower jaw forward, helping to maintain an open airway throughout the night.
Sleep Apnea Treatment in the Bay Area
While only a sleep specialist can diagnose sleep apnea, a sleep apnea dentist can identify signs of the disorder and also provide treatment. If you’re living with sleep apnea or experiencing the symptoms of the disorder, contact the office of Glen Park Dental today to schedule a consultation by calling (415) 585-1500.
Glen Park Dental provides sleep apnea dentistry to our patients in the areas of Marin, Oakland, and San Francisco in California.
