Waking up in the morning or remaining alert during the day, shouldn’t be a hassle especially if you are getting the correct type of sleep. Sleep is the body’s time to reset the brain and rejuvenate the muscles, therefore making it some of the most important hours of your day.
According to an article by the Denver Post in 2018, Colorado was named as the 2nd most well-rested state in the country with 73% of Coloradans clocking in at least 7 hours of sleep per night. That’s good news, right? But how many of those Coloradans were ‘actually’ getting Quality sleep?
Here at Clermont Dental, we care about those few hours as they determine the kind of day or level of productivity you will have. Poor quality sleep can be caused by several things but one key thing to note is that through the rise of Sleep Medicine, we are now aware of the multiple factors involved in the physiology of sleep, circadian biology, and the pathogenesis of sleep disorders. Meaning it is now possible for us to get to the root cause of your sleep problems or disorders and the first step is through a sleep wellness assessment.
What is a Sleep Wellness Assessment?
According to Sleep Foundation, a sleep wellness assessment, also known as a sleep study or polysomnography, is a non-invasive, overnight exam that allows doctors to monitor you while you sleep to see what’s happening in your brain and body.
We call it a Sleep Wellness Assessment because we understand how big a role sleep plays in our overall wellbeing. When we recommend a sleep wellness assessment, our goal is to bring you back to a state of complete wellness starting with the restoration of quality sleep.
It is basically a chance for your doctors to figure out why you’re not getting a full night of restful sleep and address the actual root cause. Naturally, as humans, if something is wrong, we test it out to see where the problem is coming from. The same applies in the medical sector, if something does not function correctly then we test to see where the problem is.
What to expect…
In the past, a sleep study required participants to spend the night at a sleep clinic where they would be hooked up to various tubes and machines that measure specific parameters. With the advancement of technology, sleep studies can now be carried out in the comfort of one’s home and all the necessary data can be tracked by your phone. There are various devices that can be used to carry out home sleep studies. Once the results are in, your sleep doctor or dentist can explain the results to you and what treatment is required.
How do you know when to get a Sleep Study?
Breathing during sleep is naturally quiet, calm, relaxed, and almost undetectable. Anything different is an indication of a problem. The most common example of a sleep problem is snoring or sleep apnea, whereby people experience abnormal breathing during sleep. Snoring is caused by the rattling and vibration of tissues near the airway in the back of the throat and this makes noise during sleep. As for Sleep Apnea, the multiple extended pauses in breathing when asleep, affect the calm and relaxation needed by the body to acquire deep restful sleep. Both Sleep apnea & snoring are far from the natural quiet, calm, and relaxed sleep we should be getting, therefore making this is a clear reason to get a sleep test.
What to look for…
You need a sleep test if you experience any of the following symptoms:
- You regularly take more than 30 minutes each night to fall asleep
- You regularly wake up several times each night and then have trouble falling back asleep
- You often feel sleepy during the day, take frequent naps, or fall asleep at the wrong times during the day
- Your bed partner says that when you sleep, you snore loudly, snort, gasp, make choking sounds, or stop breathing for short periods
- Your bed partner notices that your legs or arms jerk often during sleep
- Awakening with a dry mouth.
- Morning headaches
What happens next?
Sleep problems disturb your normal sleep pattern. Every individual has a unique sleep pattern that the body naturally follows. Once there is disruption or change to that pattern, the side effects soon follow. It is important to note that there are different causes for different sleep problems; making it harder to know which cause alone is the root cause. More conclusive tests and data are required. Health care providers will use your medical history, sleep history, and physical exam to make a diagnosis. Let us be the care provider you need. Schedule a sleep screening with us today.
