4 common conditions that affect your sleep

A recent study found people with several medical conditions reported also suffering a lack of sleep.  Researchers concluded that there is a correlation between health and sleep. Here are some examples of conditions known to affect sleep.

People with allergic rhinitis — the most common form of allergies resulting from dust, pollen, and animal dander — are much more likely to experience insomnia, wake up during the night, snore, and feel fatigued when they do wake up. The French researchers who discovered this also found that those with allergic rhinitis are more likely to sleep fewer hours, take longer to fall asleep, and feel sleepy during the day than those without the condition.

Pennsylvania State University researchers found a significant relationship between GERD, a particularly severe form of heartburn, and daytime sleepiness, insomnia, and poor sleep quality.

A bad back, an arthritic knee, a pulled shoulder muscle, heartburn — any type of ongoing pain has the power to keep you awake or pull you out of a deep sleep. Pain treatments can help although some prescriptions  like, codeine, demerol, morphine, and some migraine relievers can disturb your sleep.

Bedding down with a chronic snorer is bad for your sleep and worse for your hearing. Loud snorers can generate 80 decibels of noise, as loud as rush-hour traffic and their bed partners suffered hearing loss as a result. If you can't or won't sleep in separate rooms, try these remedies.

• Store-bought rubber earplugs can screen out about 32 decibels, which is often enough to let you fall asleep.
• An audiologist can make you custom-fitted ear protectors that filter more noise. They're expensive but worth it.
• A white noise machine, which creates a steady, soothing layer of sound, can help mask the snoring.
• Give your partner with a box of anti-snoring strips, which work by pulling the nostrils open wider.
• If all else fails, ask your mate to make an appointment at a sleep center. He or she may be a candidate for a test called polysomnography, which detects sleep apnea.

A lack of sleep can affect regular day to day activities so finding out a solution is critical. If a lack of sleep is due to a separate medical condition then treatment could solve both problems.