Sleep apnea is a breathing problem that can cause you to go sleepless, sleepy, and wake up tired. The trouble starts when your brain sends your body messages telling it to breathe, but it is not doing so. That may be because of a blocked airway or something else.
You can suffer from this disorder on a regular basis without even knowing it. The disorder is especially difficult to diagnose because your brain may never inform you that you are suffering from the disorder.
Your symptoms can vary, but you can have quite a few common complaints about your sleep-wake cycle that may indicate an obstruction or possible obstruction. Here are some signs that you might have obstructive sleep apnea:
If you have trouble getting to sleep or getting off to sleep and your last night’s sleep was restless, that is usually an indication of sleep apnea. It may also indicate that you have the disorder, or that your partner has it, or both. You may even be able to figure out which of the partner’s sleep apnea problems is responsible for the disturbance in their sleep. Because sleep apnea is associated with snoring, you might be sleeping with your partner and get a heads up on their snoring habits.
Even if you never had daytime sleepiness in the morning, you probably have sleep apnea on occasion. It may be normal and only occur after a number of nights of poor sleep. But sleep apnea can also lead to daytime sleepiness, such as running down in the middle of the day and feeling tired, or even irritability and moodiness.
Having a good night’s sleep does not always have to be possible. When sleep apnea leads to daytime sleepiness, it may happen more than one time in a row. However, a good night’s sleep is still needed to maintain a healthy level of energy, and that can mean a good night’s rest all through the day.
You may be waking up tired, especially at night, just because you cannot sleep or don’t know how to tell when you should be sleeping. There is nothing worse than trying to get to sleep only to find yourself falling asleep again after a few hours. It is very common for a person who suffers from sleep apnea to wake up in the middle of the night with headaches.
Try to sleep on your side, back, stomach, or any other location that you feel comfortable sleeping on. Some people try sleeping with pillows over their heads to try to prevent them from getting back to bed. Another suggestion is to try sleeping in the shower if you are still feeling like you are tired enough to need a good night’s sleep.
If you have been feeling tired, but now you need to stay awake to do work the next day, then you might have this problem. Usually, this will come on gradually, and you will probably wake up every few hours when you wake up feeling sluggish. It might be worse during the morning when you need to concentrate on work but usually will get better as the day goes on.
Sleeping very soundly is one of the biggest benefits of having this problem. You don’t have to wake up during the night feeling exhausted and uncomfortable. This is what prevents your muscles from relaxing and allows you to be so alert.
As you can see, sleep apnea has many symptoms that can be similar to many of the other problems you may be dealing with, and you may not even realize that you have it. It is important to have a sleep evaluation done by a doctor so they can rule out any other conditions, including severe cases of insomnia.
