We are all familiar with unwanted thoughts. We are only human, so it’s normal for unhappy thoughts of doubt and distress to pop up. However, if you notice these thoughts becoming repetitive, uncontrollable, and impacting other areas of your life, you could be dealing with another issue. One factor that can contribute to intrusive thoughts is sleep deprivation – often a result of sleep apnea. Read on to learn more about unwanted thoughts and how sleep apnea treatment may help to reduce them.
How Does Sleep Deprivation Affect Unwanted Thoughts?
Unwanted thoughts happen from time to time for pretty much anyone. However, the ability to suppress unwanted thoughts can vary greatly between people. There are various factors that can play a role, and we are learning more about them as the years pass.
In a sleep study published by Clinical Psychology Science, it appears that sleep loss has a considerable impact on the ability to keep away unwanted thoughts. The study consisted of a group of 60 healthy individuals who were separated into two groups. The first one was assigned as the sleep group and the second one was designated as the sleep deprivation group. After a night, the participants were shown photos of faces and asked to try to suppress the associations that the faces provoked. Those who had a sufficient amount of sleep were more easily able to suppress unwelcome thoughts and reported that it became easier over time. On the other hand, those who were sleep-deprived reported a 50% increase in unwanted thoughts.
How Can Treating Sleep Apnea Improve Your Quality of Sleep?
One of the most common reasons for sleep deprivation is sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder that causes one to stop breathing multiple times throughout the night. This can result in serious complications, like excessive daytime sleepiness, insomnia, nightmares, sleep deprivation, loud snoring, and mood changes. Sleep apnea treatments work by preventing these ceases of breathing from occurring throughout the night, allowing for uninterrupted, quality sleep.
How Is Sleep Apnea Treated?
There are multiple treatment methods available for addressing sleep apnea. For mild sleep apnea, lifestyle changes, like losing excess weight and getting plenty of exercise, could be enough to reduce symptoms. For those with severe sleep apnea, a CPAP machine may be necessary. This treatment consists of the patient wearing a mask that covers their nose and mouth as they sleep. Air is then pushed through the airway to keep it open while the wearer sleeps. The problem is that many people find CPAP machines uncomfortable, loud, and inconvenient to travel with, so they don’t end up wearing them as often as they should.
Oral appliance therapy is an alternative sleep apnea treatment. With this therapy, the patient wears a custom oral appliance in their mouth as they sleep. This helps to shift the jaw forward, preventing the airway from collapsing during sleep.
Unwanted thoughts can have a significant impact on how you feel emotionally. If you’ve noticed additional unwanted thoughts, you may want to consider being tested for sleep apnea. By receiving treatment, you can get the quality sleep you need to thrive during the day.
About the Author
Dr. Dean Hutto is an experienced sleep apnea dentist who has been working in the field for more than three decades! He earned his dental doctorate from the University of Texas Dental School in Houston. He has continued to pursue further advanced education and is a proud member of numerous professional organizations, including the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, the Southwestern Society of Oral Medicine, and the American Dental Association. To learn more about sleep apnea treatment or to schedule an appointment at his office in Baytown, visit his website or call (281) 422-8249.