Improved health and wellness is an important priority for millions of people — and rightly so, for without it, what do we have left? Yet, the true foundation on which we are able to preserve, maintain, and/or restore our health is often overlooked. Quality sleep. It’s so simple but frequently relegated to the bottom of our priority list because after all, life. Amiright?

In an effort to curtail the damaging effects of smoking traditional cigarettes, smokers and non-smokers alike are taking up e-cigarettes, popularly known as vapes. With 8 million Americans regularly vaping, and traditional cigarette use reaching a record low in 2018, a CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) study indicates that vaping numbers are on the rise. While many folks turn to e-cigarettes as an alternative to burning tobacco, the number of first-time tobacco users is also increasing and largely consists of young adults. 

Nearly 30 million adults in the United States experience disturbances in their sleep cycles as a direct result of obstructive sleep apnea, a condition marked by pauses in breathing during sleep. With many cases remaining undiagnosed and untreated, this sleep disorder poses a major threat to the overall health of affected individuals – including causing their cells to age more rapidly.

Dr. Edgar H. McElroy, known to his patients as Dr. Ed, is the newest addition to the Sleep Dallas team! With over 40 years of experience in the field of dentistry, Dr. Ed spent the majority of his early career working in private practice. Since 2010, his focus has been in the field of dental sleep medicine and, to date, he has treated over 1,000 patients with oral appliances. We had the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Ed to ask more about his passion for helping his patients get better quality sleep with oral devices. 

Cannabidiol, commonly known as CBD, has entered the spotlight in recent years due to increasing research showing its potential health benefits and medicinal uses. CBD is a chemical compound called a “cannabinoid” that is found in the Cannabis sativa plant (from which both hemp and marijuana are produced). The compound is extracted and mixed with oil to create CBD oil, which is then used as a supplement to help relieve chronic pain, anxiety, inflammation, and other ailments. Unlike its sister compound THC — the chemical responsible for the “high” feeling one gets from using marijuana — CBD does not produce any psychoactive effects.

Maybe you’ve heard from your partner that your snoring is keeping them awake, or maybe your snoring is waking you up in the middle of the night. Either way, you suffer from a snoring problem that impacts every aspect of your life — from your low productivity during the day to your lack of restful sleep at night. Snoring can be caused by many factors and it’s important that you seek medical advice if you suffer from it on a regular basis. The good news is that once you identify what is causing your snoring, you can begin to treat the problem and find peaceful sleep again.

You can’t remember the last time you got a good night’s sleep. You find yourself getting sick quite frequently, catching a cold or flu, or generally just feeling under the weather. You chalk it up to having to run around for your busy schedule and the fact that you go to bed at a different time every night, but you’re not quite sure what’s really causing you to feel run down all the time.

It’s not rocket science: a good night’s sleep makes you feel good, energetic, and productive, while a poor night’s sleep often makes you feel anxious, foggy, irritable, or even downright sick. And, in fact, it’s true that sleep is inextricably linked to a number of health factors. People who get enough sleep typically maintain and lose weight more easily, have better memory and cognition, and are more productive. They also reduce their risk of depression, heart disease, stroke and diabetes as compared to those who do not get enough sleep. Sleep is so important that the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognizes insufficient sleep as a ‘public health problem.’

It is well-researched and widely accepted that sleep is a major contributing factor to overall health and wellness. Yet, when compared to other factors like diet and exercise, it is an often overlooked or compromised priority that takes a backseat in the cadence of our daily lives. According to the the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than one-third of American adults are not getting enough sleep on a regular basis. In Dallas, the 2017 American Fitness Index report showed that only 67 percent of Dallas area residents were getting the recommended minimum of seven or more hours of sleep per day — one of several factors contributing to Dallas ranking 38th of 50 on the index, which measures health and community fitness at the metropolitan level in the United States. (more…)

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one-third of adults in the United States get less than the recommended seven hours of sleep each night. And that’s despite the fact that it’s well-researched and widely accepted that adequate sleep is a major contributor to our overall health and well-being, physically and mentally.

Clearly, there are various factors that contribute to one’s sleep habits and ability to get sufficient sleep, but two key factors over which we have (almost) complete control are our sleep environment and bedtime routine. Even just a few tweaks to our bedroom and/or lifestyle habits can have a significant impact on our sleep quality.