How Does Insomnia Interfere With Life?

Insomnia is a sleep disorder that leaves you sleep deprived and frustrated, or worse. Insomnia is a condition when you either can’t fall asleep, can’t stay asleep, or always wake up far earlier than you need. The result of insomnia is mild to severe sleep deprivation, which can have mild to catastrophic consequences.

Insomnia side effects interfere with all aspects of life, including our emotional, cognitive, physical and social health. 

Understanding what insomnia is and what you can do to help treat it may dramatically improve your well being.

What do Sleep Studies Monitor?

Sleep studies are important diagnostic tools for common sleep disorders like sleep apnea, insomnia, circadian and rhythm disorders. Sleep studies have proven to be particularly important in Alaska where the extreme darkness and lightness tend to either cause or worsen sleep disorders.

Why Good Sleep is Important for Losing/Maintaining Weight

If you want to lose weight, or make managing your weight easier, find a comfortable bed and get busy sleeping. You should be getting at least 7 hours of sleep per day, but 8 or 9 is significantly better. Getting a healthy night’s rest can make a tremendous difference in all areas of trying to lose weight, including:

• Moderating appetite
• Working out more often and more intensely
• Make choices that are good for weight
• Help you maintain healthy stress and insulin levels, which are critical for managing weight

What is Chronic Sleep Deprivation?

Sleep deprivation is the chronic condition of not receiving adequate sleep. Adequate sleep will differ from person to person, and change as we age. Most of us suffer from sleep deprivation because we either have trouble staying asleep, or getting to sleep. 

Shift Work Sleeping Overview

Shift work sleeping disorder is a circadian rhythm disorder that causes sleep deprivation as a result of doing shift work. It's not uncommon for people to experience sleep problems when they work work irregular, long, or night shifts. When this happens, it is called shift work sleep disorder.

What Chronic Sleep Deprivation Is

Chronic sleep deprivation is sleep deprivation over a long period of time. It can have catastrophic effects on health and performance in all areas of life, and should be taken very seriously. Sleep deprivation is caused by not getting enough sleep. The right amount of sleep will be different for different ages and individuals, but the point is, if you aren’t getting the sleep you need, you will become sleep deprived. Are you getting enough sleep?

What is CPAP Therapy?

CPAP therapy is a treatment  that is used to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Obstructive sleep apnea is a medical condition that causes you to repeatedly stop breathing throughout the night. With OSA, you stop breathing because your throat muscles relax, your airway becomes obstructed, and you to stop breathing. Each time this happens - which is many times throughout the night - you rouse to begin breathing again. Each time this cycle happens (stop breathing/waking) is referred to as an “apnea event” or apnea.

Sleep Deprivation and Erectile Dysfunction (ED)

Sleep deprivation can be the primary cause of erectile dysfunction (ED). This is great news as in such cases, fixing the sleep deprivation fixes the ED. 

Why RLS is a Problem?

Restless leg syndrome (RLS) is a nervous system disorder that causes uncomfortable feelings in your legs, and other extremities, during the night. RLS can cause enough discomfort to interfere with sleep which is why it is considered a sleep disorder. This discomfort can cause you to wake up and move your legs to ease the discomfort, as well as make it harder to fall asleep.

Insomnia Isn't So Simple

Insomnia is somewhat of a complex topic. It's not as simple as "I can't sleep." In fact, there are actually two types of insomnia, and two modes of insomnia. Here's a closer look at how to distinguish these types/modes of insomnia