Sleep disorders linked to obesity have increased by an alarming rate recently, as obesity rates soar through the roof in developed countries in particular such as the United States and the United Kingdom. People who suffer from obesity are likely to go through long cycles of fractured sleep, caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain which occurs when excessive fat clings to the air-pipe, causing an individual to literally stop breathing for a while, which makes them wake up.
The National Health Service in the United Kingdom is struggling to keep up with the number of people who are increasingly being diagnosed with sleep disorders. Dr Tom Mackay, who works at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh in Scotland, calls it a "tidal wave" of sleep disorders that he has been dealing with, citing a figure of over 25% of the entire population. The fact that more than eighty percent of the patients diagnosed with sleep disorders are obese has not gone unobserved either.
The most frequently diagnosed sleep disorder after insomnia is sleep apnea, a disorder overweight people are especially susceptible to which blocks the pathway for oxygen to the brain causing the individual to stop breathing. Today, there have been more cases of sleep apnea diagnosed than there have been of both lung cancer and emphysema put together.
A recent incident related to sleep apnea has shocked the victim into losing weight, after which she has declared that her symptoms have almost completely disappeared, proving the direct link between obesity and sleep issues.
Diane MacLean of Scotland was diagnosed with sleep apnea after she stopped breathing during her stay in a medical facility, where she was admitted for an unrelated health issue. She had to be moved to the Intensive Care Unit after the incident, and was discharged with a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Machine, one of the sleeping aids used to help people suffering from sleep apnea, because of which she was able to stay alive and breathing through the night, which she had to use till she lost weight.
Sleep deprivation also increases risk of obesity along with other sleep disorders linked to obesity such as excessive snoring.
Mike Moore is published on more than 300 websites. He writes about Health, Sleep Aids, and Relaxation. He is published on various website including www.cityofsleep.com