Beddr Blog

Posts authored by Brandon R. Peters, MD

Written By

Brandon R. Peters, MD

October 8, 2018

Learn about the link between your nightly oxygen levels and good health

At night, it’s important that you breath at a consistent rate in order to ensure your blood is adequately saturated with oxygen while you sleep. Thanks to oxygen distribution, not only are your cells and tissues renewed and repaired, but your brain gets to consolidate memories and do its own version of “resting.” However, when you sleep, your health can be jeopardized if your oxygen levels are reduced.

Written By

Brandon R. Peters, MD

October 5, 2018

What is ‘stopped breathing’ and why is it important?

Sleep apnea affects an estimated 54 million Americans, 80 percent of whom are currently undiagnosed and unaware that they stop breathing while sleeping. Learn more about the effects of breathing stops during sleep.

Written By

Brandon R. Peters, MD

September 10, 2018

7 ways to establish a nighttime routine for better sleep

There’s no magic recipe for establishing the perfect pre-bedtime routine. It should be tailored to what you can feasibly accomplish and what relaxes your mind and body. For the most part, the human brain responds positively to patterns, and setting up a routine for winding down every night can help you fall asleep quicker, stay asleep throughout the night, and feel well rested the next day. ‍

Written By

Brandon R. Peters, MD

August 31, 2018

How side sleeping improves your nightly oxygen level

Research shows that most people can breathe better overnight by changing their sleeping position. Sleep-disordered breathing affects about 90 million people across the United States. Some sleep-disordered breathing problems happen frequently and severely enough that they can decrease your nightly oxygen levels and prevent you from getting a restful night’s sleep. In some instances, they can also impair your long-term well-being.

Written By

Brandon R. Peters, MD

August 20, 2018

Want to improve your mental health? Focus on this.

People make time for their mental health in a variety of ways, from meditation, to therapy, to yoga and exercise. As it turns out, there’s a huge opportunity for boosting mental health that many miss out on: sleep. Conditions like insomnia and other sleep problems are more common in people with depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders. The overlap can be difficult to tease apart. What comes first? Sleep clinicians have hypothesized about the link between sleep disorders and mental health for decades. Ongoing, chronic sleep problems affect 50 to 80 percent of adults under psychiatric care, compared to just 10 to 18 percent of those in the general U.S. population.

Written By

Brandon R. Peters, MD

August 8, 2018

Could non-prescription sleeping pills be increasing the severity of your sleep apnea?

Many over-the-counter sleeping pills that contain diphenhydramine, like Tylenol PM, Benadryl, Advil PM, ZzzQuil. Learn why and how these medicines may actually exacerbate sleep apnea symptoms.

Written By

Brandon R. Peters, MD

August 6, 2018

5 Questions to Ask Your Sleep Doctor

An appointment with a board-certified sleep specialist is an important step towards better sleep health. Discover five questions about sleep apnea, sleep disorders, and other issues to ask your sleep doctor during your first visit.

Written By

Brandon R. Peters, MD

August 3, 2018

How well do popular sleep trackers actually work?

Consumer health tech is booming, with a wide array of wearable products claiming that their device will provide you a wealth of information, from vital signs to the number of steps you take in a day. Some of these devices, which are primarily designed to log motion and movement, have added basic sleep tracking to their marketing pitch. But how well do these activity trackers really work when it comes to capturing sleep data?

Written By

Brandon R. Peters, MD

July 18, 2018

Does a lack of sleep make you age quicker?

The consequences of poor sleep quality are as numerous as they are serious. A lack of deep, restful sleep, or simply not enough hours of quality sleep, can affect a person’s health in a number of ways. You may have heard about how sleep disorders, interrupted sleep, and sleep deprivation contribute to mood swings, heightened blood pressure, and problematic respiratory functions. But did you know that a lack of sleep can also accelerate the aging process?

Written By

Brandon R. Peters, MD

July 16, 2018

Are you getting enough sleep for your age?

How do you determine the number of hours of recommended sleep for you as an adult? Discover a number of methods and general guidelines for how much sleep is enough by age.

Written By

Brandon R. Peters, MD

July 13, 2018

Want to control your diabetes? Focus on your sleep.

If you’re one of the 29 million Americans living with type 2 diabetes, your diet, physical activity, and a host of other factors all play a role in managing your health. Yet perhaps one of the most significant but overlooked factors is the quality of your sleep.There is significant overlap of diabetes and sleep breathing issues. By some estimates, about half of the people with type 2 diabetes have sleep-disordered breathing. And it is estimated that 83% of obese people with type 2 diabetes also have sleep apnea.

Written By

Brandon R. Peters, MD

July 13, 2018

Use sleep positioners to help you sleep better

What is a sleep positioner? A sleep positioner is a device that helps someone control what position their bodies are in when they sleep. There are a wide variety of sleep positioners available, and for good reason: an estimated 90 million people in the United States struggle with sleep-disordered breathing, a condition that can often be treated by using a sleep positioner.

Written By

Brandon R. Peters, MD

July 13, 2018

Boost your body's oxygen saturation for maximum sleep recovery

Sleep health is jeopardized by reduced oxygen levels. Discover tools and techniques available to improve your blood oxygen levels and maximize recovery during sleep.

Written By

Brandon R. Peters, MD

July 13, 2018

Why healthy breathing is vital for deep, restorative sleep

Healthy sleep, especially the state of restorative deep sleep, helps keep us functioning at our best. Learn the science behind proper breathing, oxygen levels, and restorative deep sleep.

Written By

Brandon R. Peters, MD

July 13, 2018

Positional sleep apnea and how it impacts your health

Positional sleep apnea is when a person has twice as many breathing events when on their back vs. their side. Position pillows and other positional therapy products may offer relief.

Written By

Brandon R. Peters, MD

July 13, 2018

Are you one of the 90 million Americans with a sleep disorder?

If you think you have a sleep disorder, you’re not alone. It’s estimated that around 90 million people in the United States alone struggle with sleep disorders, creating conditions that are serious and impact more than just the length of your sleep. There are many different treatment methods for the various sleep disorders. Let’s review the more common ones, and what can be done to treat them.

Written By

Brandon R. Peters, MD

July 13, 2018

Why side sleeping boosts your sleep health

A recent study showed a 68 percent success rate among patients who slept on their sides, defined by significantly better breathing patterns during sleep. Discover the benefits of side sleeping including better breathing and reduced symptoms of sleep apnea.

Written By

Brandon R. Peters, MD

July 13, 2018

5 surprising ways alcohol can hurt your sleep quality

Many people are surprised to learn that drinking alcohol can actually hurt your sleep more than help it. If you’ve ever had an alcoholic drink close to bedtime—let’s say within four hours or so— you’re likely aware that drinking can make you feel drowsy. Beer, wine, and other alcoholic spirits are depressants, and up to 20% of Americans use alcohol as a tool to help fall asleep. This may be a problem. Alcohol affects how your body regulates sleep, not to mention the overall quality of your sleep, in a number of negative ways. These can range from waking up in the middle of the night to increased snoring to an increased impact on sleep disorders, and more.

Written By

Brandon R. Peters, MD

July 13, 2018

Why Does My Heart Rate Spike When I'm Asleep?

Your body undergoes a number of important recuperative processes during sleep, from cell renewal to muscle repair to restorative brain activity. Changes in breathing, oxygen levels, and heart rate occur as well. These actions are essential to your long-term health. While having a slight fluctuation in heart rate during sleep is normal, it is important to understand the causes of more noticeable spikes in your heart’s number of beats per minute.

Written By

Brandon R. Peters, MD

July 13, 2018

Can sleeping better help you lose weight?

With 2 out of 3 Americans being overweight, a significant portion of the population is seeking a way to shed unnecessary pounds. Traditional weight loss approaches center around diet and exercise, but this overlooks one of the most powerful weight loss tools of all: sleep. Many sleep experts believe that optimized sleep care should be integrated into every weight loss program, for its powerful influence over cravings, mood, motivation, insulin regulation, and more. Poor sleep health often leaves you chronically sleep deprived, and an insufficient amount of sleep has two main negative effects on your weight loss efforts.