Like most people these days, you probably know that losing sleep isn’t good. Your body suffers when you don’t get enough shut eye. That said, did you know sleep deprivation can cause unwanted thoughts? You’re less able to stop unpleasant ideas if you skimp on snoozing. However, there is one good way to resolve the issue: sleep apnea treatment. With this option, you’re much more likely to get a better night’s rest. To learn more, here’s a summary of the matter from a local dental practice.
Context: What Is Sleep Deprivation?
To be clear, sleep deprivation is when you don’t get enough quality sleep. The average adult needs 7-9 hours of it nightly, so anything less disrupts your life.
Sleep deprivation can happen for various reasons. For example, you might have to work a night shift. Alternatively, things like high stress or late-day caffeine might keep you awake. A person can also become sleep-deprived due to a medical condition.
Sleep deprivation’s effects worsen as the issue persists. At first, a person may have symptoms like daytime sleepiness, fatigue, irritability, or trouble thinking. Extended sleep loss, though, will result in trouble speaking, impaired judgment, and impulsive behavior. A person could even suffer hallucinations if it goes on long enough.
Sleep Loss Causes Unwanted Thoughts
Recently, it’s been found that sleep loss can lead to unwanted thoughts. Those who are sleep-deprived aren’t good at resisting intrusive ideas and images.
A 2020 University of York study backs these findings. In the latter, researchers found that the sleep-deprived had far more intrusive thoughts than good sleepers. The study’s lead author, Dr. Marcus Harrington, has further supported this conclusion. In his own words, “Sleep loss has a considerable impact on our ability to keep unwanted thoughts out of our minds.”
Put simply, your lack of sleep could be messing with your head. You’d thus be wise to address the matter as soon as possible.
A Great Solution: Sleep Apnea Treatment
Thankfully, a fix for your fitful nights already exists: sleep apnea treatment. This service from your local dentist can easily improve your sleep quality.
If you don’t already know, sleep apnea is a fairly severe sleep disorder. It happens when your upper airway becomes blocked while you snooze. Due to said blockage, your body wakes you up just enough to resume breathing. Unfortunately, this reflex interrupts your sleep cycle and prevents deep rest.
Fortunately, dentists have several ways to treat sleep apnea. One is the traditional CPAP machine – a device that sends air through your throat. Another option is oral appliance therapy, which has you wear a mouthguard-like item that stops airway blockages. Some practices can even perform sleep apnea surgery as a last resort. Clearly, then, you can trust a dentist to help you breathe easily at night.
With a qualified dentist’s care, you can avoid unwanted thoughts from sleep loss. Given that fact, see your local dental provider soon for sleep apnea treatment. Your mind and body will thank you for doing so!