7 Sleep Habits That Could Reveal Disturbing Health Issues
Not everything we do or experience in our sleep is a side effect of a more serious health problem. Sometimes, snoring is just an annoying nighttime noise and nightmares are just reflecting our immense imagination.
But if you haven’t had a decent sleep in ages, some of your sleep habits might indicate some potentially serious health conditions such as diabetes, infections and depression. From insomnia to hypersomnia and sleepwalking, here are 7 sleep habits that can reveal important things about your health.
Snoring
Let’s start with one of the most common (and most obnoxious) sleep disorders: snoring. According to various studies, men are more likely to suffer from snoring activity, especially when lying on their backs and disrupt their sleep or that of their partners. Snoring can indicate you have a cold or stuffed nose, which is nothing out of the ordinary.
However, heavy and constant snoring can also be a sign of sleep apnea, a condition in which your breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep. Such a pause in breath can last for 10 seconds or more. Sleep apnea has been linked to various health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.
Night sweats
If you constantly wake up in the middle of the night with wet pajamas and bedding, you could be having a serious problem. And I don’t mean the air conditioning.
Night sweats could indicate diverse underlying health issues, so, you’d better check with your doctor. “For women, the most classic cause of night sweats is low estrogen or fluctuating estrogen levels,” says Prudence Hall, M.D., founder and medical director of the Hall Center in Santa Monica. “This occurs after the birth of a baby, perimenopause, and menopause”.
If you’re a 24/7 sweat machine, you could also have some sort of infection and fever. Also, low blood sugar or certain types of medication, such as antidepressants or birth control pills, could also trigger your night sweats.
