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FAQs

• What impact does sleep have on your health?

  Sleep can be both good and bad for your health, depending on duration and quality.

  A good night’s sleep leads to mental sharpness, better mood, improved heart health, greater athletic performance, steadier blood sugar, and other positive health benefits.

  On the other side, poor sleep or sleep loss has been linked to memory issues, difficulty concentrating, weakened immunity, high blood pressure, increased accident risk, and other negative health problems.

• What does it mean to be sleep deprived?

  When you’re sleep deprived, you’re not getting the quality sleep your body needs to function, perform and stay healthy. Unfortunately, people with undiagnosed sleep apnea might not be aware they are sleep deprived. Sleep apnea seriously disrupts the normal sleep pattern, or sleep cycle, which is crucial to rejuvenating the body and the brain. Multiple apneas or disruptions deprive you of the most critical kind of sleep for recharging your batteries — deep and REM sleep. You’ll not only feel tired and groggy during the day, but it can result in dangerous health conditions and seriously compromise your quality of life.

  If you have trouble concentrating, are overly sleepy, have unexplained mood changes, or experience slowed thinking, you could be experiencing disrupted sleep. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), when you reach 24 hours without sleep, it will feel like having a blood alcohol content of 0.10. Sleep deprivation impacts people in different ways, but for most, the effects of insufficient sleep set in as soon as the first day of limited sleep. Most people need between 6.5 and 8 hours of sleep. Any less can result in sleep deprivation.

• How much deep sleep do you need?

  A healthy adult should be sleeping anywhere from around 6.5 to 8 hours per night. Roughly 20% of that should be deep sleep and around 25% should be REM sleep. Each sleep stage supports different functions of the body — REM sleep restores the central nervous system, and deep sleep repairs and restores muscle. Keep in mind, both the quality and the quantity of deep sleep can impact how you feel throughout the day.

   

• Can sleep apnea cause high blood pressure?

  According to the CDC, sleep deprivation increases your blood pressure and causes your blood pressure to stay higher for longer. That’s because while you sleep, your blood pressure normally goes down, but disruptions to your sleep rob your body of this benefit. It’s important to deal with disordered sleep as early as possible because high blood pressure is the leading cause of heart disease and stroke. 

• Are five hours of sleep enough?

  Five hours of sleep is where you start getting into sleep deprivation. Over time, people who only sleep five hours a night start to experience negative health effects. Studies have shown that sleeping less than six hours a night is correlated to an increased risk of diabetes.

• How to improve sleep hygiene?

  Practicing good sleep hygiene is easier said than done. The best way to start is getting at least 30 minutes of physical activity per day and sleeping in a dark and cool environment — 65°F is ideal. It’s also important to stick to the same bedtime and wake-up time every day, including weekends, to keep your circadian rhythm on track. Screens emit blue light that can overstimulate the brain right before bed, so stop using your phone or TV at least one hour before bedtime so your brain can relax. Night mode can help, but staying screen-free is best.

• How can less sleep affect your physical health?

  Lack of sleep can increase blood pressure and raise your risk of diabetes and heart disease. The non-physical effects like excessive tiredness lower your motivation to exercise, which can lead to a higher risk of obesity. Good sleep is so important because it repairs both the mind and body.

• What are the causes of sleep disorders?

  There are many —  physical (ulcers or obesity), medical (asthma), psychological (anxiety), neurological (brain function causing central sleep apnea), genetic, or simply habit-based (medications, night shift work, etc).

• Is sleep apnea dangerous?

  Sleep apnea can come with many health risks if left untreated. The big three are increased blood pressure, a higher risk of diabetes, and a greater risk of heart disease. In addition, you also run a higher likelihood of obesity, depression, anxiety, weakened immune system, and more

• What are the benefits of good sleep?

  Proper sleep health has both short- and long-term benefits. This includes a healthy heart, regulated blood sugar, mental well-being, a strong immune system, less stress and anxiety, a healthy weight, and many more.

   

• Do any foods cause sleep apnea?

  The following food and drinks can make sleep apnea worse:

  • Meats high in saturated fats — pork, bacon, sausage, burgers.

  Alcoholic beverages

  Dairy

  Bananas

• Does smoking cause sleep apnea?

  Smoking can make sleep apnea more severe. If you smoke, you are at higher risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea.

• Can sleep apnea be deadly?

  It is highly unlikely that breathing disruptions alone will kill you. But untreated sleep apnea can lead to severe health problems, including heart issues, which can cause death.

• Can stress cause sleep apnea?

  Stress doesn’t cause sleep apnea, but it may make symptoms worse.

  In just one week, you can get the results of your test, including screening, testing and diagnosis, saving you time and money compared to sleep labs.