There is a strong--and scary--connection between sleep apnea and heart disease. In fact, people with severe untreated sleep apnea are five times more likely to die from heart disease. Another study found that individuals with sleep apnea are twice as likely to experience sudden cardiac death. Sleep apnea has been linked to high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation, heart attacks and strokes; it has also been connected to high rates of diabetes and kidney disease. 

Sleep apnea is a very prevalent condition--in fact, an estimated 1 in 5 American adults has the sleep disorder. 

By that number, we should all be able to name at least a handful of people with sleep apnea. But in fact, 80% of sleep apnea cases go untreated and most people don't even know they have it.  Those with sleep apnea don't usually remember waking up during the night and might brush off their symptoms as just being tired. And the only way to know for sure if you have the condition is to be tested for it. 

So here are our top 5 reasons why you should have a sleep study--and the benefits that could result from taking back your restful sleep.

Conventional wisdom holds that adults need eight hours of sleep a night to wake up feeling healthy and rested. But like many pieces of old advice, scientific invesitgation has found that this guideline isn't as simple as we might think. Now, new sleep guidelines from some of the top experts in the field attempt to answer the ultimate question: How much sleep do you really need? 

Exercise has a lot of benefits for the body. It burns fat, helps maintain healthy living patterns, and improves your mood while reducing your stress levels. And--if you do it properly--exercise can also help you sleep better when you lay your head down on that pillow.

Sleeping disorders are very common among adults with alcohol and drug abuse problems. In the past, many addiction specialists have just assumed that the substance abuse is causing the sleep disorder--after all, drugs and alcohol are well-known sleep disruptors. However, scientific studies are finding that sleep disorders seem to occur before substance abuse, not as a consequence of it. 

In the United States alone, 22 million people suffer from sleep apnea--a statistic so seroius that the CDC has called sleep disorders a "public health epidemic". At the same time, an estimated 18 million American men struggle with erectile dysfunction. Now, the medical community is coming to realize is that the prevalence of these two conditions might not be entirely a coincidence. In fact, research shows that the chronic exhaustion caused by sleep disorders could be a cause of erectile dysfunction. 

Sleep apnea takes a serious toll on the entire body. Not only does it have mental effects, but there are also physical consequences of poor sleep and the loss of breath that occurs during an apnea. 

Today is Valentine's Day and February is National Heart Month, so today we're going to examine the effects of sleep apnea on the heart--both physically and emotionally. 

Having a sleep disorder like sleep apnea is a serious health issue. It can affect not only your sleep patterns, but also how you function during the day. It can even lead to serious health problems like heart strain, mental exhaustion, and even traffic accidents. 

But testing can determine if you are affected by a sleep disorder--and now, having a sleep test is easier than ever with the option of a Home Sleep Test.

How many of us have gone to sleep in the wee hours of the night, only to wake up feeling groggy and tired? You probably thought that going to bed earlier would cure the problem--but unfortunately, it's not always that simple. A new study has found that the later work starts, the more sleep workers get, meaning that later start times are actually better for your health! 

You're probably familiar with the idea of a sleep study. You're likely picturing a bed in a sleep center, a night away from your home and your family, a tangle of wires and sensors, and a somewhat restless night of sleep.  

But what if I told you that there was a sleep study option that let you test for sleep disorders from the comfort of your home, with a minimum of equipment, at a lower price than an in-center test?

That's where Home Sleep Testing comes in.