Chronic, “socially unacceptable” snoring could just be something that is the cause of jokes in your family. It could also be sign that you have obstructive sleep apnea, a serious sleep disorder and medical condition. Loud, chronic snoring is one of the primary symptoms of OSA, and is often one of the first signs that something isn’t quite right about one’s sleeping.
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 – you guessed it – not getting enough sleep. “Enough 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?
Chronic sleep deprivation is frustrating, and even debilitating. It involves long periods - weeks or months - of less than adequate sleep. Chronic sleep deprivation can take a toll on one’s body, mind, and life. If you have been living with chronic sleep deprivation, you likely hardly need to be told this. The important questions are, what are the consequences of untreated sleep deprivation, and what can you do about it?
If you want to lose weight, or at least make managing your weight easier, find a comfortable bed and get busy sleeping. You should be getting at least – that is, at the bare minimum – 7 hours of sleep per day – but 8 or 9 is significantly better. Getting a healthy night’s rest can make a tremendous different in all areas of trying to lose weight, including:
How has your sleep been the past few days, weeks, and months? If it’s like most people, you are not getting the right amount of sleep you need every day – about 7 hours or more (for adults) depending on your unique needs. There are many potential reasons why you aren’t getting enough sleep, which we outline below. Identifying the cause or causes of your sleep deprivation is the most critical step in getting back to healthy sleeping.
Sleep debts are a term that, at their root, refer to how much sleep deprivation you are suffering from. The idea is this: you are supposed to get a certain amount of sleep per night, and each night you get less than this amount adds to your “debt” of sleep that you need to catch up on. In reality, it’s not this simple at all.
If you are trying to lose weight, or have historically struggled with managing your weight, pay attention to how much sleep you are getting. You should be getting at least 7 hours of sleep (if you are an adult), but you also might need more depending on your unique needs. When you get less than 7 hours of sleep, and thus become sleep deprived, you are likely to exhibit numerous weight-unfriendly behaviors. To boot, lack of sleep also affects your metabolism in ways you don’t want it too if you are trying to manage or lose weight.
Sleep deprivation is exactly what it sound like: when you are deprived of sleep. Sleep deprivation can be long term, “chronic” sleep deficiency. It can be short-term, “acute” sleep deficiency. Regardless of whether you have acute or chronic sleep deprivation, it can make life miserable for yourself, and those around you. Ask yourself, did you get enough sleep this week?
Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder characterized by a frequent and sometimes uncontrollable desire for sleep. This can result into sudden lapses into sleep at any time, any place. The result is that normal patterns and rhythms of sleeping become abnormal. In fact, narcolepsy can be extremely disruptive for living the kind of life you want, and often requires intervention in order to allow people to function desirably.
You’ve probably heard of the term “sleep debt.” It’s the term that refers how much less sleep you are getting than what you should be getting. The idea is that over time, a “sleep debt” forms that you need to get extra sleep to “pay back” your debt. To list it more succinctly: