Insomnia and sleep apnea are two different but common sleep disorders. Both lead to sleep deprivation, which can be short-term or chronic and long-lasting.
Regardless of the underlying cause, sleep deprivation sets you up for serious health consequences: obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, mood disorders, memory deficits, poor cognitive function, and lowered immunity.
What is Insomnia?
Insomnia is a sleep disorder. It can make it difficult to fall asleep at night, but insomnia can also cause you to wake up throughout the night and be unable to sleep again. Insomnia can be short-term or an ongoing, chronic condition.
Here are the answers to some important questions about insomnia to help you better understand what you’re experiencing:
- Is insomnia genetic? Insomnia is often caused by external factors like stress, travel, and bad sleep habits. It may also have a genetic component, according to recent research.
- How common is insomnia? Insomnia is a common sleep disorder. Between 10% and 15% of people experience chronic insomnia, while up to half of adults have symptoms of insomnia at some point in their lives.
- What are the signs of insomnia? Symptoms of insomnia include struggling to fall asleep, waking up throughout the night, waking up early, feeling unrested, daytime sleepiness, difficulty focusing during the day, and mood symptoms like depression or irritability.
- Can damage from insomnia be reversed? In general, yes, you can reverse the damage by catching up on sleep. However, when sleep deprivation is chronic, there could be ongoing issues.
- How is insomnia treated? Treatments for insomnia include cognitive behavioral therapy, light therapy, prescription medications, and over-the-counter medications.
What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is another type of sleep disorder. It causes you to stop and restart breathing throughout the night while asleep.
- Is sleep apnea genetic? Family history is a risk factor for sleep apnea, which indicates there is probably a genetic component. However, there are other risk factors, including obesity, narrow airways, substance use, smoking, and medical conditions.
- How common is sleep apnea? Sleep apnea is also common. It occurs in about 25% of men and 10% of women.
- What are the signs of sleep apnea? Some of the symptoms are similar to insomnia, including waking up throughout the night, daytimes sleepiness, and difficulty concentrating during the day. Symptoms unique to sleep apnea are snoring, dry mouth after waking up, and gasping for air while sleeping. A partner may notice that you stop breathing while asleep.
- Can damage from sleep apnea be reversed? As with insomnia, if you can treat sleep apnea and catch up on high-quality sleep, you can reverse some of the harm. Researchers have also discovered that positive airway pressure therapy reverses white matter brain damage in people with the condition.
- How is sleep apnea treated? Treatment includes lifestyle changes, such as losing weight, using a CPAP machine or other oral devices, and surgery if other treatments don’t work.
Understanding the differences between these two sleep disorders can help you discover which one you have, but a professional diagnosis is best. Talk to your doctor if you don’t sleep well and feel the consequences.
For mild sleep conditions, lifestyle changes and proper sleep hygiene may be enough. You can learn to sleep better with tools like meditation, exercise, and relaxation strategies. When these are inadequate, a doctor can diagnose and treat your sleep disorder.
