Insomnia develops in one of every four Americans each year, but despite its prevalence among the general population, insomnia continues to be vastly underdiagnosed. As explained in a 2016 study, patients should be screened for insomnia consistently as they age, as aging and diabetes are most commonly associated with insomnia symptoms.

And while aging is a very broad risk factor, screening is important to tackling insomnia head-on as 27% of insomniacs don’t realize they have the condition. 

Considering insomnia is such a widely documented sleep disorder, it’s fair to wonder how this is possible—but insomnia is a bit more complex than simply having it or not. See, 30-35% of people suffer from mild insomnia, meaning that their symptoms aren’t as obvious as someone who suffers from moderate or severe insomnia. On top of that, individuals can suffer from acute (short-term affliction) or chronic insomnia (long-term affliction).

We’ve all been there: Lying in bed, wide-awake, cursing the coffee you had in the middle of the afternoon. Or perhaps it was those two miles you ran before bed. Or maybe it’s that deadline you’ve been stressing about.

For anyone that has suffered from elusive or unrefreshing sleep, you know that the smallest thing can derail a good night’s rest. The good news, however, is that small things can also improve your potential to get quality sleep — and one of those things is diet.

Getting comfortable in order to fall asleep is essential. Think about that moment before you fall asleep. What sleep position do you go to first? When you wake up in the morning, what position do you find yourself in?

Most people have a preferred sleep position in which they spend much of the night — but is that the most beneficial position for your specific health needs? What many people don’t realize is that each sleep position comes with its own set of pros and cons. The way in which we sleep plays a direct role in our everyday health.

Though there are several variations, sleep positions generally fall into the following three categories. Each category’s benefits may vary based on variations that include placement of arms or other body parts, or the strategic utilization of a pillow used for support.

Sleep apnea is a potentially life-threatening disorder in which breathing is frequently interrupted while you’re asleep, forcing you to briefly wake up in order to begin breathing again. It’s important to note that sleep apnea is not uncommon. In fact, nearly 1 billion people suffer from sleep apnea worldwide; and in 2014, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine released a statement that called the rising prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea a threat to public safety.

If you keep waking up with a sore throat and/or headache, frequently feel exhausted throughout the day, or have heard your partner complain about loud snoring throughout the night, you might have sleep apnea.

Leaving sleep apnea untreated can lead to or exacerbate a variety of other associated conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression, and could even increase your risk of having a stroke or heart attack.

If you have sleep apnea, then achieving deep, restful sleep can be challenging. Now add in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season and the end-of-the-year to-dos, and you could be missing out on even more sleep. Unfortunately, this can lead to unpleasant side effects, like memory loss, daytime drowsiness, and chronic headaches, which can significantly dampen the seasonal festivities. To help prevent this from happening to you, here are three tips for handling sleep apnea during the holidays.

You wake up and immediately notice the unpleasant pain in your head. You think, “Again?”

Does this happen to you most mornings? If so, it might be a sign of a sleep disorder. In particular, chronic headaches might be a sign that you have sleep apnea – a disorder that could lead to far worse problems if left alone.

Sleep apnea is one of the most common sleep conditions, affecting millions of people in America alone. This occurs when your throat or tongue muscles relax so much that they partially or fully block your airway, making it difficult to breathe. This interrupted breathing also leads to restlessness, drowsiness, as well as many other life changing symptoms, which leaves you wondering, “Will this ever go away?” Read on to find out the answer!

When you wake up in the morning, have you been experiencing headaches? If this occurs consistently, it’s not just a normal “hangover” or grogginess. In fact, this issue could be due to a common sleep disorder called sleep apnea. This occurs when your throat or tongue blocks your airway, making it difficult to breathe, which leads to interruptions during sleep. However, it can cause a wide range of symptoms as well. Read on to learn why sleep apnea treatment could be the best solution for your consistent headaches in the morning.