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How a Sleep Disorder Can Mean Much More for Your Mental Health

Not getting a good night’s sleep can leave you feeling moody or irritable the next day. But what happens if you experience sleep problems for several nights in a row? Being constantly fatigued may not be the only change you notice –– you may also start to feel an impact on your mental health.

Lack of sleep can have a serious impact on mental health

Sleep issues may be a sign of a psychotic disorder, such as bipolar disorder. Mental health issues, however, can also lead to or be made worse by poor sleep patterns. Some of the more common mental health disorders that have been linked to sleep include:


  • Bipolar disorder. Sometimes referred to as manic depression, this indicates a person’s tendency to oscillate from one mood (often normal) to another (often erratic). These mood changes can be made worse by a lack of sleep, which can last for days.
  • Depression. Those who suffer from depression report feeling overwhelming sadness, as well as a lack of interest in favorite activities or hobbies, lower energy levels and a sense of hopelessness. Stressful life changes, an inability to sleep or a family history may contribute to depression, which can also make you feel constantly tired.
  • Anxiety. Generalized anxiety disorder is defined as feelings of stress or worry about day-to-day life. It can disrupt your daily lifestyle, and can result in headaches, nausea, hot flashes and difficulty falling asleep. In turn, a lack of sleep can also worsen anxiety symptoms.

  • Care for Your Overall Health with My CPAP Club


    When sleep becomes elusive, search out the sleep experts at My CPAP Club. Based in North Carolina, we can ship CPAP machines, water chambers, masks and accessories to patients all over the United States who need help breathing while asleep (and staying asleep).


    Take care of a sleep disorder before it impacts your mental health. Lean on My CPAP Club by calling us at 1-888-272-7050 or by filling out our online contact form.

    Why Can’t I Stay Asleep?

    You’ve probably heard stories about people counting sheep until they reach the thousands and still being unable to fall asleep. Maybe you’ve experienced a night or two like that yourself. Such a problem is generally attributed to insomnia, a somewhat familiar sleep disorder.

    Less well-known, sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that tends not so much to prevent sleep as to diminish its quality. If you are one of the millions of Americans who has trouble staying asleep, then you’ve likely experienced some form of sleep apnea.


    Difficulty Staying Asleep vs. Difficulty Falling Asleep

    Although insomnia can also be responsible for difficulty staying asleep, it is most recognized for keeping people awake. So, when deciding whether you’re facing sleep apnea or insomnia, you can begin by determining whether you’re having trouble falling asleep or simply staying asleep.

    If staying asleep is your issue, there could be a number of reasons. However, the common thread among those suffering from sleep apnea is some form of airway obstruction while sleeping. When you sleep, the muscles in your throat relax, narrowing your airway. Certain hereditary and biological conditions can make your airway more dramatically narrowed than normal, which can lead to a cessation of breathing. Your body’s natural response is to jerk you awake so that you can begin breathing again.

    If you’ve woken short of breath or a family member has witnessed you stop breathing temporarily while asleep, you should seek help immediately. For serious concerns about your health, make sure to consult your primary care physician. The professionals at My CPAP Club can answer any questions you may have about sleep disorders and relevant treatments. Contact us today to get back to sleeping comfortably the whole night through.

    Symptoms of Sleep Apnea: Morning Headaches & Sore Throat

    Despite your best attempts to get a good night’s rest, do you still wake up with a headache and/or a sore, dry throat? If so, you could be one of millions of Americans who suffer from sleep apnea.

    While excessive drinking shortly before bed can result in similar symptoms, we’ll assume that you’ve limited your alcohol consumption in pursuit of that seemingly elusive good night’s sleep. If you’ve been experiencing chronic morning headaches, whether or not they’re accompanied by a sore throat, you understand just how detrimental they can be to your daily productivity, as well as your mood. They can lead you to be irritable and distracted, which can negatively impact your job performance and pose a threat to you and the people around you.

    Why You Should Be Concerned About Chronic Headaches in the Morning

    As just one of multiple symptoms of sleep apnea, morning headaches are a potential sign that you have a sleep disorder. While headaches in the morning may seem like a manageable inconvenience, letting a sleep disorder like sleep apnea go untreated may result in deteriorated health, including the following serious issues:

    • Depression
    • Weight gain
    • High blood pressure
    • Stroke
    • Weakened immune system

    To avoid these needless health risks, seek help from the professionals at My CPAP Club, who can assist you with treatments for sleep apnea and get you back to enjoying a full night’s sleep. Imagine waking up feeling refreshed, with no headache and no sore throat. Just contact us today to learn more and get started.

    What Does It Mean If My Breathing Stops When I Sleep?

    Perhaps you’ve woken to find yourself short of breath or feeling as though your airway is blocked. Maybe your partner has witnessed your breathing stop temporarily while you’re asleep. No matter how you’ve discovered this phenomenon, it’s important to recognize that it is a serious health concern, and you are not alone.

    Why You Should Be Concerned About Obstructive Sleep Apnea

    As one of several symptoms of sleep apnea, cessation of breathing poses a major health risk, because it can cut off the supply of oxygen to your brain. Often times, this temporary lack of airflow is caused by the relaxation of muscles in your throat, which naturally narrows your airway. However, people suffering from sleep apnea experience an even more dramatically narrowed airway as a result of biological conditions and health choices.

    Affecting millions of people across the US, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is responsible for this airway blockage. In most cases, your body’s natural response to the lack of airflow is to jerk you awake, however, in extreme instances, you may not be fully roused, leading to permanent brain damage and even death.

    How Do I Know If I Have OSA?

    If you are male, overweight, diabetic or middle-aged or older, you are at a greater risk for obstructive sleep apnea. While other factors may play a role in your periodic cessation of breathing, it is critical that you seek help immediately to ensure you are sleeping safely.

    To receive more information about OSA and its health effects, contact My CPAP Club today. One of our knowledgeable and friendly sleep experts will provide you with the information you need to sleep safely and soundly. If you have serious concerns about your health, make sure to speak with your primary care physician.

    What is Excessive Daytime Sleepiness?

    If you chronically feel tired and sleepy throughout the day, as if you haven’t gotten enough sleep, you may be like the millions of other Americans who suffer from excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). While EDS is a health concern in and of itself, it may also be symptomatic of a greater health problem, sleep apnea. Knowing if or when you should attribute daytime drowsiness to EDS is an important step in addressing this serious health issue.

    To establish whether or not you may be experiencing EDS, it is best to consult a doctor. However, there are a few questions worth considering if you’re on the fence about making an appointment:

    • Do you wake up to your alarm feeling like you could use at least another hour of sleep?
    • Are you sleepy while at work or when driving your car?
    • Do you wish you could take long naps during the day?
    • Is it difficult for you to focus on tasks?
    • Do you have trouble remembering recent events or other problems with forgetfulness?
    • Are you subject to mood swings?

    Experiencing any of these effects of EDS can be detrimental to your well-being and that of others. It can impact your job performance and even endanger people’s lives due to otherwise avoidable motor vehicle accidents.

    Other Potential Health Consequences of EDS

    Beyond the health risks already mentioned, there are other severe consequences that can result from leaving EDS and its greater cause untreated. If you continue to endure the debilitating effects of a sleep disorder like sleep apnea without seeking adequate treatment, you may be at risk of developing the following:

    • A weakened immune system
    • Depression
    • High blood pressure
    • Heart attack
    • Heart disease

    To avoid serious consequences to your health, you should seek help immediately. For questions regarding sleep apnea and its treatments, contact My CPAP Club today. If you are already suffering major health problems, make sure to talk to your primary care physician.

    Why Do I Snore & Is It a Health Problem?

    Have you ever wondered what causes snoring? If you’re concerned about snoring, you’re not alone. Plenty of people snore for a range of reasons. Below, we’ve provided some of most common causes of snoring, as well as when to be concerned about snoring as a symptom of sleep apnea.

    Common Snoring Causes

    Do you only snore on occasion? Have you noticed any pattern to when you snore versus when you don’t? For people who snore infrequently, some of the most common causes are:

    • Alcohol consumption before bed
    • Allergies
    • Sinus infection or cold
    • Body position during sleep

    All the factors mentioned above are changeable actions or states, and therefore contribute to infrequent snoring. Alcohol relaxes the muscles in your throat, which decreases your body’s ability to defend against airway obstruction while you sleep. Drinking less at night or possibly waiting longer to go to bed after consuming alcohol will help to prevent this from happening, and likely take care of your snoring problem as well. Taking daily allergy medicine or a nasal decongestant before bed can help to open up your sinuses, which may also decrease the likelihood of snoring.

    When it comes to your body’s position during sleep, it is true that sleeping on your back makes snoring more likely. However, other factors, both internal and external are also at play. If you have a tendency to shift positions during sleep so that you end up on your back, this may be the cause of your snoring. Consider changing this behavior, as this kind of snoring can lead to more serious health issues, including obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

    When Snoring is a Potential Health Problem

    While the previously mentioned reasons for snoring are somewhat manageable, there are additional causes for snoring that aren’t necessarily under your control. These include bodily conditions, such as:

    • Obesity
    • Narrow airway
    • Deviated nasal septum
    • Diabetes

    When snoring is the result of any of these factors, it is generally indicative of sleep apnea, which is a serious health issue that affects millions of Americans. Fortunately, there are methods of treating OSA. These methods have the combined effect of preventing both snoring and any airway obstruction during sleep.

    To learn more about sleep apnea and its treatments, contact My CPAP Club today. We’ll help you sleep soundly — without snoring — once again.

    Battling Sleep Apnea While Pregnant

    Getting a full night of sleep when you’re pregnant can be difficult –– especially if your baby is active in the evening. One of the problems that can contribute to your lack of sleep is a condition called obstructive sleep apnea. While many people think it only affects men, women can struggle with it as well. It can be detrimental to productive sleep patterns on its own, but when paired with pregnancy, several new health risks can come into play.

    Sleep apnea during pregnancy can cause:

    • Preeclampsia. This refers to a potentially deadly condition in pregnant women that causes their blood pressure to spike. The only cure is to deliver your baby. Delivery may be delayed if you are not close to term.
    • Higher likelihood of cesarean section. Also known as a C-section, this method of birth occurs through a surgical procedure. It may be necessary if your labor has slowed or stopped, the baby is distressed or if the infant is too large to be delivered vaginally.
    • Increased daytime fatigue. Usually the result of insomnia or another sleep problem, daytime fatigue can lead to you missing work, making poor decisions, obesity, diabetes, depression and substance abuse.

    Sleep apnea in women can be commonly misdiagnosed as chronic fatigue syndrome, insomnia or even depression.

    Treating Obstructive Sleep Apnea with My CPAP Club

    Being pregnant can slightly elevate your risk of obstructive sleep apnea, so it’s important that you recognize common signs and symptoms. Those include snoring, lapses in breathing while asleep, gasping when sleeping and fatigue that persists throughout the day.

    Thankfully, you don’t have to struggle with sleep apnea. The courteous and understanding professionals at My CPAP Club have several remedies available for people who are suffering from various sleep disorders. Best of all, our customized solutions are available to ship anywhere in the United States –– meaning the care that we recommend has virtually no bounds. To learn more about how My CPAP Club can help you in your fight against sleep apnea, contact us online through our customer inquiry form.