RISKS

Most people vastly underestimate the serious nature of the problem because it is not just how long we sleep, but also the quality and patterns of our sleep that matter.

In addition to causing daytime sleepiness, low energy levels, headaches, irritability, depression, and memory loss, sleep disorders have been shown to greatly increase the risk of:

heart attack

stroke

high blood pressure

congestive heart failure

motor vehicle accidents

sleep disorders in children have been linked to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and failure to achieve in school.

A non-invasive overnight evaluation may shed light on a potentially deadly problem.

"Experts estimate that about one-third of adult Americans will experience some sort of sleep disorder in their life time."

"Too little sleep or not enough restorative sleep can seriously affect the way we think, behave, form memories and perform at work and school," explains Dr. Merrill Mitler, program director for sleep research at NIH's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. "A continued lack of sleep also puts us at risk for mood disorders such as depression and can lead to poor concentration and poor judgement, social problems, greater risk of car crashes and increased risk of substance abuse." Because the timing of sleep is linked to a symphony of chemical reactions throught the body, Twery explains, it's also linked to our health in more subtle ways. "When these chemical reactions become misaligned," he says, "they can contribute to problems with our metabolism and our cardiovascular system, and can eventually lead to increased risk of disease."

The more severe the obstructive sleep apnea, the greater the risk of high blood pressure. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine reported that obstructive sleep apena greatly increases the risk of stroke, regardless of whether a person has high blood pressure. However, effectively treating obstructive sleep apnea can lower blood pressure and the risk of other cardiovascular diseases.

An observational study of more than 1,000 patients at Yale Center for Sleep Medicine found that obstructive sleep apnea significantly increases teh risk of stroke or death from any cause, and that the risk is linked to sleep apnea severity. The report cites support from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health, the Yale Center for Sleep Medicine, and the Veterans Affairs Health Services Research and Development Service.