Technological Solutions That Help with Common Sleeping Disorders
For most adults, getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep is enough to wake up rested and keep us functioning throughout the day. Granted, there are those that can manage with sleeping a lot less and also those that don’t want to leave the warmth of their bed. However, the problem occurs when we want to sleep only to find ourselves being restless in bed or continuously waking up unable to get a good night’s sleep. However, there’s no reason to worry — we’ve comprised a list of the most common sleeping disorders but also technological solutions for them, which you can, hopefully, make use of and get some shuteye.
Insomnia
According to this comprehensive infographic, 10% to 15% of the general population and 30% to 60% of the older population is affected by insomnia. It causes people to have difficulty falling asleep or staying awake, which can then result in daytime sleepiness, depressed mood, irritability, and low energy.
Insomnia may occur either independently or as a result of another problem, such as chronic pain, heart failure, restless leg syndrome, and stress. The first steps in treating insomnia are lifestyle changes and better sleep hygiene. When it comes to technological solutions, you can use bulbs that stop the blue light, such as the Good Night Biological LED Bulb. Also, you can try blackout shades, or you can use devices like Ebb Insomnia Therapy.
Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder that affects up to 20% of the world’s population, and it causes a person’s breathing to be interrupted during sleep. There are two main types of sleep apnea—obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and central sleep apnea (CSA). Common reasons that cause sleep apnea are enlarged tonsils or adenoids, smoking, frequent alcohol use, and weight.
Between the two, OSA is the more common one, and it occurs when the soft tissue in our throat collapses while we’re asleep. Its symptoms are daytime sleepiness, restlessness, gasping for air while sleeping, snoring, and fatigue. When it comes to CSA, the issue starts in our central nervous system, and our breathing isn’t interrupted, but our brain fails to relay the information to our body to breathe.
There are many inventions that can help with sleep apnea, such as slumberBUMP that nudges you into sleeping on your side, which in result prevents blocking of your airways. Another solution is EPAP by Theravent that regulates your airflow and creates a gentle pressure in your airway, keeping it open and reducing vibration.
Snoring
If you snore, you’re not the only one; approximately 40% of men and 20% of women snore, which is more than two billion people. It may be caused by sleep deprivation, sleep position, nasal problems, alcohol consumption, or simply due to our mouth’s anatomy. For example, when muscles surrounding our throat relax during sleep, they cause the airway to get narrower, which then causes the tissue in our throat to vibrate as air passes through.
Luckily, since it’s one of the most common sleeping disorders around the globe, there are many technological solutions that can help with snoring, such as the Hupnos’ Snoring Mask, URGONight EEG Headband, as well as many different sleeping solutions by Philips.
