People who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are not only plagued by loud snoring and the constant waking at night, gasping for air, but their daytime activities are also greatly affected. Those who are sleep deficient are shown to be less productive at work and school. The following conditions can result from a lack of quality sleep:
- It takes longer to finish tasks, you have slower reaction time, you make more mistakes
- With just 1 or 2 hours of lost sleep per night, you will function as if you haven’t slept for a day
- Leads to microsleep — brief moments of sleep that occur when you are normally awake
- Microsleep can put you at danger, such as when you are driving or operating machinery
- Studies show that sleep deficiency harms your ability to drive as much as being intoxicated
Sleep deprivation can also negatively affect your cognitive skills and ability to learn. Your attention and alertness are impaired, as well as your ability to reason and solve problems. This is critical in children in school and college students — if they don’t get enough sleep, they won’t be able to remember what they learned or experienced during the day.
Depression is another consequence of lack of sleep that should be taken seriously. A U.S. sleep poll showed that those diagnosed with depression or anxiety were more likely to sleep less than six hours per night.
The good news, however, is that OSA can be treated, giving you back quality sleep that is vital to your health and well-being. At TMJ & Sleep Therapy Center in Granger, IN, we provide various solutions for those suffering from OSA. To find out what sleep disorder treatment is best for you, please call our office at 574-968-5166 to schedule a consultation.