Experts agree that 7-9 hours of sleep are necessary for health and well-being, but 40% of adults are sleep deprived and regularly get less than 7-hours of sleep per night. You may wonder if you should share this with your doctor and the answer is, yes.
It is common to have occasional sleep problems depending upon personal factors and life transitions. However, if you continually experience a lack of sleep, or insomnia, it becomes a vicious cycle where poor sleep creates more poor sleep. It can seem endless and defeating. Without proper treatment, insomnia appears to become persistent, with at least 60% of poor sleepers still suffering from the same symptoms a year later.
Sleep plays a key role in regulating our emotions, behavior and health. A lack of sleep is linked with 7 of the 15 leading causes of death in the United States including heart disease, cancer, accidents, hypertension, stroke and diabetes. Often sleep has been linked to these outcomes independent of lifestyle behaviors such as smoking, lack of exercise or drinking, which means sleep alone is sufficient to create negative health outcomes.
Speaking with your provider is key. We encourage all patients to discuss their sleep hygiene with their provider whether you have trouble sleeping consistently or experience bouts from time to time. Our providers can provide a menu of options that are best for you, your circumstances and overall health to get you sleeping better and experiencing better health.
