Sleep Disorders and Life Insurance
I stopped breathing over 100 times during my first sleep study. My general physician was the one who suggested a sleep study. He said it might offer some solutions to my health problems. My blood pressure was difficult to control, I was constantly tired and I snored. I tried to control my hypertension with diet and medication but that had mixed results. I found that having a sleep study was a turning point in my health. You may find that controlling your health by improving your sleep will not only give you a renewed sense of living, but it will also get you better life insurance rates. If you are looking for life insurance and have sleep disorders, you should understand that life insurance companies want to give better rates to people who are trying to control their health. If you are still struggling to get an upper hand on your sleep problems, there is hope for getting life insurance at a reasonable cost. Here are four points that may lead you to better health and better life insurance rates. #1. Sleep apnea may be the sleep problem that most people are familiar with, however sleep disorders encompass a wide variety of conditions such as “hypertension, cognitive impairment[..]restless legs syndrome [..] depression, substance abuse, and impaired waking function [..] narcolepsy [..] increased risk of Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative conditions[..] increased risk of cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, prostate cancer, obesity, diabetes, gastrointestinal disease, motor vehicle crashes, and difficulty adhering to school and work schedules” (NIH 2011). #2. I have sleep apnea and have been using a CPAP machine every night for the past eight years. It has made a profound difference in the way I feel. When I was trying to find a solution to my sleep problems here a few things that I learned: - Talk to your doctor.He or she will be the best one to help you get started.Reading blogs like mine is great, but there is no substitute for your own doctor. - Ask your doctor if he or she can recommend a sleep clinic.Do not pick a sleep clinic because it’s the cheapest.I made that mistake.I thought I could find a cheap clinic close to my home.It was horrible, it was like a cheap motel.The rooms were very small, the walls were paper thin so you could hear everything, including other people snoring and the technicians talking.And there was one bathroom for the entire clinic.After the first night, they said I’d have to come back for a second night at a significantly higher price for more testing.Yea no, I don’t think so.So I ended up going with my doctor’s recommendation. - The second clinic was so much better. It had individual rooms that were like a nice hotel.Each room had its own bathroom.I found that selecting a sleep clinic that had accreditation through the American Academy of Sleep Medicine made a big difference. - Check to see if the sleep clinic you are considering is in your health insurance network, it will make a big difference in cost.Ask if they offer patient education, follow-ups as well as monitoring and will they allow you to visit their clinic. #3. Life insurance companies want the same thing that you do.You want low rates, they want to give you low rates, yes they do!If you’re healthy, you have less chance of dying.If you’re healthy you get lower rates.Solving your sleep problems will help you improve your health. #4. Not all life insurance companies are the same.Some life insurance companies have strict guidelines and some of them are more open to considering clients with a sleep disorder. If you use my services to find life insurance, let me know that you have a sleep disorder in the beginning and I will guide you to life insurance companies that are open to considering your condition, not all of them do.I cannot stress enough how important this is.If you even talked to your doctor about sleep problems, lets discuss this issue. Sleep disorders can be a significant problem in applying for life insurance, but don’t let that stop you.Remember you are buying life insurance to protect your family.If you are worried about qualifying for life insurance, there are three options to consider I. Apply to the best sleep disorder friendly life insurance company we can find. II. Submit an informal inquiry. This is where we gather your health information and informally submit it to several life insurance carriers on your behalf anonymously. III. Accept a guaranteed issue life insurance policy. It will be more expensive; however, you may want to avoid the depth of disclosure necessary with a life insurance company that wants more medical information. The reason you want affordable life insurance is to protect your family in the event that you are not alive to provide for them. When you start to look at what is involved in applying for a life insurance policy, especially when you have a sleep disorder, you can lose sight of why you are doing this. If you do not want to go through this process alone and you want someone who understands the system, I’d be honored to help you. The first step is completing the term life insurance quote request information by following this link: