CPAP Wholesale Blog

Causes of Sleep Loss

Sleep has proven to be crucial for the brain to consolidate the day’s memories, for the body to detoxify, and to serve as a period of rest and low energy use which allows organs and tissues to recover from the stresses of the day.

A lack of sleep can occur due to a diverse range of causes. It manifests during the day as decreased alertness, mental function, reflexes, and decreased cognition, as well as negative changes in mood. The changes that result vary widely from person to person.

Although failure to fall asleep as rapidly as a person would like is the most common form of insomnia, waking at odd times of night, or waking too early in the morning, are other common symptoms of sleep disorders. For others, continually waking throughout the night, even sometimes without fully gaining conscious awareness, can also cause a lack of sleep.

While sleep apnea and other sleep disorders can obstruct sleep patterns, most commonly overuse of caffeine or other stimulants such as compounds found in tea are responsible for frequent sleep loss. In other cases, uses of certain types of over the counter medications, such as those used for some allergies, have stimulatory effects which can keep a person awake even late into the night. These problems are usually not extremely serious and can be fixed with simple lifestyle changes or a call to your physician.

Veterans Tested for Sleep Apnea

The US Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), which provides patient care and federal benefits for veterans and their dependents, recently reported that more than twenty percent of military veterans now suffer from sleep apnea, a number that has increased by over sixty percent in the past two years. Veterans who experience daytime drowsiness, heart disease, and strokes are now being tested for sleep apnea as well as a possible cause for more serious health issues.

Among the risk factors attributed to the sleep disorder, weight and prolonged exposure to dust and smoke seem to be the most common causes among veterans. Estimated annual spending from the VA for treatment of sleep apnea is an estimated $500 million.

Vacationing With Sleep Apnea

Don’t let sleep apnea make your summer stressful. Leaving town without a way to continue sleep disorder treatment can be dangerous, risking serious health issues like cardiovascular disease and memory problems; however, portable sleep apnea machines are now available with both mobile adaptors and rechargeable batteries.

Portable CPAP units make it possible for obstructive sleep apnea sufferers to leave their bulky CPAP machines, masks, and equipment at home, while still being relieved of symptoms. Some smaller CPAP machines are even as little as four and a half pounds. CPAP systems can run at night with heated humidifiers and recharge during the day wherever power is available, whether hooked up to the wall, or in a cigarette lighter in a vehicle for convenience.

Suffering from sleep apnea shouldn’t prevent anyone from travelling. In fact, living an active lifestyle can even help improve cases of sleep apnea, and technology now allows for the freedom to be active without being tied down to an electrical socket at home.