When you want to improve your overall health, you may make the mistake of focusing only on your diet and exercise routine. But if you want to maximize your long-term wellness, you also need to prioritize healthy sleep habits.
At Stat Care Pulmonary and Sleep, Himanshu Chandarana, MD, and Ashok Tyagi, DO, CPE, offer on-site sleep testing services, including an in-lab sleep study to identify what’s interfering with your ability to get good quality sleep.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, you should get a certain amount of sleep every night based on your age.
Toddlers, for example, should average 11-14 hours of sleep at night. By the time they’re teens, the goal is 8-10 hours. Adults should get 7-9 hours of sleep each and every night.
A lack of sleep can cause both short-term and long-term issues that can disrupt your health. If you’re not getting the recommended hours of sleep, it can lead to:
The longer you go without sleep, the more likely you are to develop chronic diseases like diabetes, heart failure, high blood pressure, and stroke. You may also be at increased risk for weight challenges and mental health disorders.
Additionally, poor sleep can age you prematurely. There’s a link between cortisol (stress hormone) levels and sleep deprivation.
Excess cortisol can break down collagen, an essential protein in your skin that keeps it young-looking and wrinkle-free. A lack of sleep could leave you prone to wrinkles, fine lines, and other age-related skin flaws that affect how you look.
Your appearance may also suffer from sleep deprivation if you often look tired and worn out.
If your schedule is contributing to a lack of sleep, work on fixing your sleep habits.
Changes you can make include turning off all electronics at least one hour before you go to sleep and going to bed and waking up at the same time each day. It can also help to keep your room cool and dark throughout the night.
When you can’t fall asleep or stay asleep due to insomnia or other underlying condition, the team at Stat Care Pulmonary and Sleep can help. We can use sleep testing to identify what’s causing your sleep challenges so you can improve your sleep quality.
You may benefit from treatments like medications or cognitive behavioral therapy. We also offer comprehensive care for sleep apnea, a condition that causes you to stop breathing periodically while you’re sleeping.
If you have sleep apnea, you can improve your sleep with a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. A CPAP device delivers supplemental oxygen through a mask you wear over your mouth and nose while you sleep.
If you can’t solve your sleep issues on your own through lifestyle changes, call Stat Care Pulmonary and Sleep in St. Petersburg, Florida, to schedule a diagnostic evaluation or book your consultation online today.
