We're Sleep Doctors. Here Are The 2 Things We'd Never Ignore When It Comes To Sleep.

If you're doing either of these, you may want to see a doctor ASAP.

Skimping on sleep is a dangerous habit that can put you at risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, dementia and more. Adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep each night. And even if you’re going to bed at a time that allows for enough sleep, it’s not necessarily easy to know whether your body is actually getting proper rest.

Doctors say one of the leading causes of poor-quality sleep is obstructive sleep apnea, a condition that affects about 25 million Americans. “Sleep apnea is a chronic sleep disorder characterized by difficulty breathing during sleep,” said Katie McCullar, a postdoctoral fellow in the neurology department at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Sleep apnea can increase your risk of certain health conditions, and can even be life-threatening if left untreated. Because of this, experts stress that two of the main signs of sleep apnea ― which occur during sleep ― are not something they would ignore. Here’s what they are:

Snoring.

A common nighttime symptom of sleep apnea is snoring, said Dr. Robson Capasso, chief of sleep surgery at the Stanford University School of Medicine in California. You may not realize you’re snoring, but it’s often something a partner brings up, he noted.