Sleep problems affect about one-third of Americans. Some, such as obstructive sleep apnea, are serious and may be life threatening.  But many more people suffer from problems such as insomnia or waking throughout the night. No matter what the cause, poor sleep quality can lead to serious medical problems over time. A study in the European Journal of Nutrition showed that drinking tart cherry juice improved sleep quality.

The researchers gave adults 2 glasses of tart cherry juice per day. They found that the cherry juice drinkers slept an average of 39 minutes longer and had up to a 6 percent increase in sleep efficiency (meaning they actually were asleep while in bed). When the study participants drank a non-cherrry juice drink they did not have these improvements. The sleep benefits seem to be caused by the melatonin content of the tart cherries. Previous research had shown that tart cherries could be used as a sleep aid and since American’s spend over $84 million on over-the-counter sleep aids per year drinking tart cherry juice may be a healthier, money saving alternative.

If your sleep is disturbed by loud snoring by either you or your bed partner the problem may be obstructive sleep apnea. This is a serious condition that causes the sleeper to stop breathing many times during the night. The signs of sleep apnea include loud snoring, gasping during sleep, a large neck size and high BMI (body mass index). Obstructive sleep apnea can be treated using a comfortable oral appliance worn while sleeping. This stops the snoring and allows the sleeper to breath all night long.

If the signs of sleep apnea sound familiar to you please contact StoneRidge Dental Care in Columbus, OH today at 614-476-6696 to schedule your consultation.