More than 20 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders, including the potentially deadly condition obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). A recent study focused on which states’ residents suffer most from sleeplessness.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine reviewed nationwide data gathered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and found that citizens of southern states—particularly Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana—experience particularly high rates of sleep disturbances and daytime fatigue. Residents of western states—notably California, Montana and Oregon—report lower occurrences of daytime fatigue and sleep disturbances. The results of the study were published in February in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.
Although regional sleep studies have been conducted in the past, this recent research led to the first state-by-state U.S. sleep maps. The findings of this study conform with other studies that indicate states with higher rates of sleeplessness are also states that have increased rates of medical problems such as obesity and heart disease.
The new analysis of national data did not reveal why residents of certain regions of the country tend to sleep better than others, researchers said the study lays the foundation for deeper examination of potentially corresponding factors such as weather, sunlight patterns, demographics, race and healthcare access.
“We should begin to use this data to track patterns of poor sleep and try to understand why these patterns occur,” said Dr. Michael A. Grander, a research associate for the Center for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology at Penn and lead author of the study. “Sleep is such an important part of overall health, we need to do everything we can to help give a good night’s sleep to those in the highest-risk regions.”
If you suffer from sleep apnea symptoms, a qualified dentist may be able to diagnose the source of your condition and recommend an effective treatment option.