Exercise? Eat healthy? Still feel like crap every morning?

You probably have a sleep breathing disorder.

So you might be in your 30's or 40's, working as much as you can, maybe young kids scheduled every minute, healthy dinner on the table and you still manage a half hour run or gym stint every couple days...

You hit the pillow at 10:30 or 11pm.  You're up at 2, maybe 3 to pee, then back to bed,  Alarm clock goes off at 7am and 7:15 and you hit snooze.....4 times.  Getting out of bed is torture.  Not because you don't love your job, but because you just can't physically find the energy to open your eyes.

It's estimated in some studies that as high as 82% of people without obvious barriers to health care access have undiagnosed moderate-to-severe sleep apnea. 

I have worked in sleep dentistry for 5 years. Here are some of the excuses I hear every day.

"I'm getting older"
"It's normal."
"I've always been a bad sleeper"
"I sleep fine"

9 times out of ten if I ask " Think you could get a better night sleep?" the response is a resounding "Well, of course, doesn't everyone?"

HEY YOU.....still reading this...answer these 3 questions

How long does it take you to get to sleep?
Do you stay asleep all night? 
Do you feel refreshed in the morning?

If you answered:
More than ten or instant,
No and,
No, sometimes

You could have a sleep breathing disorder.  Here's why.

A proper time to get to sleep is about 10-15 minutes.  
No matter your age, unless there is a physical concern with your urinary tract system, you should manage a continuous 6-8 hours of undisturbed sleep.  No peeing, despite how much you drank....
Finally, even IF you sleep all evening...you should feel pretty good in the morning.

So you sleep like crap.  You visit your MD and what happens?  Maybe you are given drugs to help you sleep.  Now you are sleeping better.  That's fantastic.  Along with a variety of side effects too.  Here's my question to that:  Did your doctor prescribe a polysomnogrpah, a formal sleep study?  If not, it seems irresponsible.  What are the drugs for?

Sleep can be like eating a good steak  a great nice grade A t-bone, barbecued to the perfect medium rare, it's tender and succulent, you want more.  Then you have filet mignon.  Good sleep is like filet mignon. Solid but relaxed all he way through, the perfect amount, satisfying with no craving or need for more.  For the vegetarians, I'll say it's like having a frozen vegetarian lasagne and then experiencing a lasagne loaded with every vegetable and the best cheese available. Just ask me for my recipe. 

If you don't know what good sleep is, you don't know what you don't know.

What the hell does this have to do with OMT?  Well there are recent studies that show an improvement in sleep apnea patients when treated with OMT.  There is evidence that it can resolve in children if treated with OMT early.  The studies emerging in recent weeks are eye opening.

I believe everyone should have a sleep study no matter the situation.  Sleep breathing disorders can contribute to health concerns like heart disease, diabetes, obesity, attention deficit disorders, anxiety, depression to name a few.  If you are on medications for ANY of these, your doctor should prescribe a sleep study in formal clinic.  It's ok, your doctor might not know.   

​Why does good sleep matter?  Because you'll live longer, it's really just that simple.
Sleep easy.