Sleep is an essential part of your day-to-day health. When sleep is disrupted, everything else, including staying healthy and maintaining a normal weight, becomes more challenging. Many sleep issues can be resolved with a few tweaks to your lifestyle, or simply by waiting a little while for your body to adjust to a new schedule.
However, there is a time when more medical intervention is needed. How do you know when you're at the point when you need additional help getting to the bottom of your sleep challenges? Here are some signs that you might need to look into a sleep study.
1. You're tired even after you've had enough hours of rest at night
Fatigue is a symptom that fits many health problems, and not all of those problems are related to sleep. However, if you've seen your doctor about common fatigue issues like thyroid imbalance and iron deficiency, and there are no concerning markers during routine blood tests, you might need a sleep study to determine the quality of your sleep.
You might find that you are waking up during the night and not remembering it. You might actually be doing things in your sleep instead of laying restfully in your bed. You might have sleep apnea and not realize it. These things all cause sleep disturbance and lead to consistent fatigue.
2. You have frequent, vivid nightmares that consistently disturb your sleep
These nightmares can be indicative of underlying mental health problems. A sleep study can track the frequency of nightmares and how they affect your body. Nightmares can be caused by post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, or other neurological conditions.
3. You snore loudly even when you are not ill or sleeping deeply
Loud snoring can be an indicator of sleep apnea, which is a condition that causes you to wake multiple times in the night as your airway becomes temporarily obstructed. Many people with sleep apnea do not know they have it, which is why a sleep study can help track the pattern.
4. You can fall asleep easily, but cannot sustain sleep throughout the night
Waking after only a few hours of sleep can be very frustrating. It could be a sign of anxiety, but it can also be caused by sleep disorders like restless leg syndrome, limb movement disorder, and night terrors. Digestive issues and even heart and lung conditions can also cause sleep instability.
Contact a sleep center near you to learn more.
Share17 May 2023
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