It’s normal to look forward to a day off after the end of a long week or to be envious of toddlers at nap time, but it’s not normal and certainly not healthy to feel as though it is impossible for you to make it through your day because you’re battling daily fatigue after constant restless nights of sleep. Over 40 million Americans suffer from some kind of sleep disorder, and sleep apnea is one of the most common of those disorders. Sleep apnea is usually the result of a blocked airway, and a person suffering from sleep apnea is likely to jolt awake at night after the body stops breathing.

Other disorders that may plague an unknowing person include:

• Insomnia – a person may either have trouble falling asleep, or may wake up and find it impossible to go back to sleep
• Narcolepsy – a person may undergo a sudden and uncontrollable onset of sleep. People with narcolepsy are likely to have vivid dreams because they enter almost immediately into REM sleep
• Restless Leg Syndrome – a person may feel sudden urges to move his or her legs to alleviate unpleasant feelings, like itching, crawling, tingling, or aching. The constant movement is disruptive to sleep, and the uncomfortable feelings may be strong enough to keep a person awake throughout the night

If left untreated, sleep apnea and other sleep disorders can quickly lead to more serious and life threatening conditions, like depression, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, or dementia. Believe it or not, sleep is the most important part of your day, and while having sleep is good, having good sleep is great!