This is Day 6: Time for Your Check Up, in our One Week to Better Sleep series.
See Your Doctor
If you’re having difficulty falling or staying asleep or you’re experiencing unrefreshing sleep, it’s always a wise decision to be evaluated by your medical doctor first. When was the last time that you had a physical? When was the last time you had blood tests done, and which ones?
There are physical conditions that can lead to insomnia and/or unrefreshing sleep. If you have untreated medical conditions, you’re insomnia will not get better until you address these issues.
Sleep Apnea
One of the biggest culprits is sleep apnea. There are two types of sleep apnea. One is called obstructive sleep apnea, and this is when your upper airway becomes blocked repeatedly during sleep. This reduces or stops airflow, which can cause you to wake up gasping for air. The second type of sleep apnea is called central sleep apnea. This is when the brain does not send the body signals to breathe. (For real. AWFUL).
Untreated sleep apnea can lead to heart attack, glaucoma, diabetes, and cancer.
To determine if you may be at risk for sleep apnea, doctors often use the “STOP BANG” assessment.
See below:
Snoring: Do you snore? Loud enough to be heard through closed doors or loud enough to disturb your partner
Tired: Do you often feel tired, fatigued, or sleepy during the daytime?
Observed: Has anyone observed you stop breathing, gasping, or choking while sleeping?
Pressure: Are you being treated for high blood pressure?
BMI: Is your BMI over 25?
Age: Are you over age 50?
Neck Size: What is your neck size? (Larger neck = high risk)
Gender: Are you male?
If you think you may be at high risk for sleep apnea, it’s important to reach out to your medical doctor as soon as possible. To determine if you actually have sleep apnea, a sleep study is required.
Take a look at the following numbers:
- Mild: Five to 14 apnea events in an hour
- Moderate: 15 to 29 apnea events in an hour
- Severe: 30 or more apnea events in an hour
Mild is 5 to 14 apnea events in an hour. So, you stop breathing 5 to 14 times per hour. Just imagine the quality of the sleep you’re getting, even with mild sleep apnea. It sucks. You’re going to be tired and exhausted!!
The great news is that sleep apnea is easily treatable with a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine. The help is there, reach out!
Other issues:
The following is brief list of other issues that can be culprits to trouble sleeping.
Endocrine System:
The endocrine system is responsible for hormone production. Our hormones can affect our sleep and our sleep (and biological clock) can affect our hormones. As an example, an overactive thyroid can lead to difficulty falling asleep. An underactive thyroid can lead to feeling tired and fatigued all the time.
Acid Reflux:
Gastrointestinal problems such as reflux can also cause trouble sleeping.
Diabetes:
Diabetes can lead to frequent urination and waking at night.
It is vital that you receive proper medical evaluation before getting treated for insomnia. Making behavioral changes will not fix insomnia if you have a medical condition like sleep apnea.
Once your medical condition is adequately treated, it’s possible that you may still have residual problems sleeping. This is where cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia can help. If you are in Houston or live in Texas and are interested in talking to someone about your sleep problems, we’d love to hear from you. We provide counseling for insomnia in the greater Houston area. We also conduct telehealth video sessions for all residents of Texas if you can’t make it to our Houston office. Reach out to us at info@hcfv.com or 713.259.9049.
You can access the previous posts here:
Day 1: Stop Sabotaging Your Sleep Drive
Day 2: Is Your Body Confused About When to Sleep?
Day 3: Do I Really Have to Get Up at the Same Time Each Day?
Day 4: When You’ve Lost Faith in Your Body
Kathryn Tipton has passion for sleep and wants to help you return to sleeping through the night. She uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), a non-pharmacological treatment to help clients gain control over their insomnia and improve the quality of their sleep. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor with a Masters degree in Clinical Psychology. Her private practice is located in central Houston, in the Montrose district. Additionally, she conducts sessions online/via phone with clients from the comfort of their own home or office.