Do you feel tired throughout the day, even after getting in the recommended 7 to 9 hours of sleep? You are not alone. According to the National Sleep Foundation, 70% of Americans report experiencing regular sleep problems and 50 to 60% of the population has a diagnosed sleep disturbance. What’s more, people suffering from inadequate sleep are more likely to suffer from other health conditions, including hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and cancer. The good news is that, with proper treatment, 85 to 90% of people with sleep problems are able to resolve their sleep disturbance and improve their quality of Z’s. If you generally feel fatigued throughout the day, measuring your blood oxygen level and heart rate could help to reveal the cause of your sleep disturbance and help you get your sleep back on track.
Your blood oxygen level (known in medical circles as arterial oxygen saturation or spO2) refers to the percentage of oxygenated hemoglobin in your blood. Each hemoglobin molecule contains four sites where oxygen can bind to and the percentage of these sites bound to an oxygen determines your oxygen saturation. For the average healthy person, spO2 varies between 94% to 99% saturated. Patients with a mild respiratory condition have an spO2 reading lower than this but above 90% and levels below 90% indicate a need for a need for a respiratory apparatus. Although temporary or infrequent desaturations could be caused by moving, swallowing, or breath holding, a prolonged or reoccurring drop in spO2 during the night could signal a sleep disorder such as sleep apnea.
If a sleep disorder is not the cause of your sleepless nights, taking a closer look at your pre-sleep activities could reveal the culprit, and it might not be what you think! While avoiding caffeine and alcohol before bed are some of the more well-known points on the list, refraining from key activities such as eating, intensive exercise, or staring at a blue screen an hour before bed could greatly improve how rested you feel in the morning. Engaging in behaviours that promote sleep is medically termed “sleep hygiene” and our next blog will address what behaviours you can engage in to make the most out of your time in bed, falling asleep the second your head hits the pillow so you feel rejuvenated upon waking.
Want to monitor your quality of sleep and achieve a deep sense of well-being? The road to a healthier and happier you involves many small steps, made simple with the Salu Pulse+.
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