I have talked about the health hazards that come along with not getting enough sleep or when living with an untreated sleep breathing disorder like obstructive sleep apnea. A new research study reinforces the idea that getting a good night’s sleep is important.

Resarchers reported in the Journal of Experimental Psychology that people may be learning while they are sleeping. This is an unconscious form of memory that is still not understood. According to Kimberly Fenn of Michigan State University “We speculate that we may be investigating a separate form of memory, distinct from traditional memory systems. There is substantial evidence that during sleep, your brain in processing information without your awareness and this ability may contribute to memory in a waking state.” The results of this sleep memory seem to vary greatly from person to person but that most people show improvement.

“This is the first step to investigate whether or not this new memory construct is related to outcomes such as classroom learning” said Finn. She continued “simply improving your sleep could potentially improve your performance int he classroom.”

The majority of Americans report that they don’t feel that they are getting enough sleep each week. Reasons for this vary but for an increasing number of people the reason is obstructive sleep apnea. Patients with obstructive sleep apnea may feel groggy and sleepy during the day, even following a full night of sleep. This is because their sleep has been disrupted during the night by stoppages in breathing which then cause them to waken briefly. Sleep is fragmented and the body is not receiving the oxygen it needs. Left untreated, obstructive sleep apnea has been linked to heart disease, stroke and a greatly increased risk for accident. Obstructive sleep apnea can be treated using an oral appliance created by a specially trained dentist thus avoiding the masks and hoses associated with CPAP.

If you would like more information about oral appliance therapy or would like to schedule a consultation to see if oral appliance therapy is right for you please contact Dr. Mark Levy in Gahanna, OH today at 614-476-6696.