Florida Dental Sleep Disorders Blog

When you were a child, did your parents tell you to go to bed at a specific time each night? Back then, you might have complained because you felt like you were forced to sleep when you didn’t want to. The truth is, though, that a nightly bedtime routine is highly beneficial for everyone — including adults with sleep apnea! This blog post discusses the value of such a routine and how you can start to establish good habits.

Usually, when a patient is diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), their doctor is quick to prescribe CPAP therapy. Unfortunately, many people struggle to get into a routine with their CPAP; they may find it to be uncomfortable and inconvenient. The good news is that many OSA patients qualify for a dental sleep appliance, also called an oral appliance. This CPAP alternative has been growing in popularity in recent years, but is it really effective? Yes! This blog post explains what you should know before you decide how to address your OSA.

High-quality sleep is an essential component of good health, so anything that interferes with the quality of your rest should be taken seriously, including both restless leg syndrome and sleep apnea. On its own, either one of these conditions can significantly reduce the amount of rejuvenating sleep that you are able to enjoy. When they occur simultaneously, the situation is even worse. What exactly is the connection between restless leg syndrome and sleep apnea, and how might you be able to find relief? This blog post offers some practical information.

When most people think about burning calories, they think about exercise. If you are walking, running, playing sports, or strength training, your body needs extra energy to accomplish the task at hand. However, your body is constantly using up calories — even when you are asleep. How does it use that energy, and is there any way to increase both the quality of your sleep the number of calories you burn during your shuteye? This blog post explains.

Did you find any useful tips in the first blog post in this series? It talked about how using the right bedding, blocking out light and noise, and other practical steps could improve the quality of your sleep. Are you curious to learn if there is anything else you can do to get an adequate amount of shuteye each night? This blog post provides five additional tips.

If you have ever pulled an all-nighter, you might remember feeling tired and “out of it” the next day. Perhaps it took you a few days to feel sharp, alert, and focused again. Why does that happen? How exactly does a lack of sleep affect cognitive performance? This blog post discusses how inadequate rest can affect your brain in both short-term and long-term ways.

Monetary debt can be stressful and burdensome, but there are other types of debt that can come with even heavier consequences. Sleep debt is one of them. If you consistently fail to get enough high-quality sleep, your health, relationships, and overall quality of life could suffer. What exactly is sleep debt, and how can you get back in the black? This blog post explains.