If You're Doing This In Your Sleep, It's Time To See A Doctor

Key Points:

• An estimated 50 to 70 million Americans suffer from sleep-related problems, which can manifest through symptoms like gasping for air, snoring, sleepwalking, and chronic nightmares, often linked to undiagnosed sleep disorders or underlying health conditions.
• Sleep apnea is a common cause of gasping for air during sleep and is typically diagnosed through a sleep study; treatments include CPAP devices, while other causes like postnasal drip and acid reflux may require different interventions.
• Parasomnias such as sleepwalking and sleep talking can be triggered by stress, anxiety, medications, or substance use, and are diagnosable through specialist evaluation and sleep studies, with management focusing on avoiding triggers and adjusting medications.
• Frequent nighttime urination (nocturia) and teeth grinding (bruxism) may indicate underlying health issues ranging from urinary tract infections to abnormal bite alignment, and both conditions benefit from medical or dental evaluation and appropriate treatment.
• Self-monitoring sleep quality using wearable devices, bedside monitors, or bed sensors can provide valuable data to discuss with healthcare providers, helping to identify potential sleep disorders and guide decisions about further clinical testing.