The image of the insomniac making a sandwich in the middle of the night is a common one in films and television shows. You may have even lived out a moment like this when you couldn’t sleep and found your tummy rumbling. But can you imagine binging on food while you’re still asleep? Believe it or not, there’s actually a small percentage of the people that suffer from a sleep disorder involving raiding the fridge in a completely unconscious state of sleep. Nocturnal sleep-related eating disorder (NS-RED) is a condition similar to sleepwalking. Unfortunately, NS-RED includes binging on unhealthy foods which can adversely effect your overall health. Des Moines dentist, Dr. Stephen Burds, will explain how NS-RED relates to sleep apnea.

Explaining NS-RED

Parasomnia is the umbrella term for conditions that involve engaging in unusual behaviors while you sleep. NS-RED is in the same family as sleepwalking, night terrors, and periodic limb movement disorder. While the other conditions involve more obvious physical manifestations of anxiety, a person affected with NS-RED will go so far as to take out pots and pans, cook, and consume an entire meal without waking up. This may sound amusing, and probably would be a funny scene in a movie, but if you think of the reality of fire hazards, indigestion, weight gain, and health conditions which are complicated by unhealthy eating, you can see that NS-RED shouldn’t be ignored.

Sleep Eating Can Lead Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is linked to obesity. In fact, the two conditions quite often go hand-in-hand. Parasomnia conditions already affect the quality of your nighttime rest. Sleep apnea will only compound your challenges. Bulky throat tissue, low muscle tone, extreme relaxation of the muscles in the throat and tongue, and nasal obstructions are all OSA contributors. Fortunately, the days of only treating sleep apnea with cumbersome CPAP machines are long gone. Your Des Moines dentist can now help treat snoring and sleep apnea with oral appliances that keep the mouth and throat in place so you can breathe easily and sleep soundly.

Visit Your Des Moines Dentist

If you are concerned with OSA, your Des Moines dentist is here. At Gateway Dental Group, we provide comprehensive dental care for our patients. Contact our 50309 dentist office by calling (515) 344-4131 to schedule an appointment today. We proudly serve patients from River Bend, Kirkwood Glen, East Village, and neighboring communities.