Not getting enough sleep is an obvious cause of fatigue. But what if you’re one of those people who sleep eight hours a night and still feel tired? You may have sleep apnea, especially if you snore.
Almost half of all adults snore, and as many as 40 percent of snorers — and a fair percentage of non-snorers — have a serious condition called sleep apnea, in which breathing stops during sleep for periods lasting ten seconds or more. I’m one of them, and I can tell you that this condition is a real energy zapper.
Why It Occurs
Sleep apnea occurs when the soft tissues at the back of the throat relax and the airway closes partially or completely, usually during the deepest, most restorative stages of sleep. Cessation of breathing causes the sleeper to wake briefly, gasp for breath, and then fall back asleep. A person with mild sleep apnea may go through this routine five to ten times per hour. Those with severe sleep apnea have at least 15 events per hour. When I was tested for sleep apnea at a sleep lab, I had 69 events in one hour!
The Many Side Effects
One of the major effects of sleep apnea is excessive daytime sleepiness. Sufferers usually have no idea why they’re so tired, since they have no memory of the frequent awakenings during the night. (It’s usually a spouse who first suspects a problem, since they’re likely to be disturbed by the snoring and alarmed by the long pauses in breathing.) Untreated sleep apnea takes its toll on health. Studies have found rates of traffic accidents to be four times higher among sleep apnea sufferers than the general population, primarily due to drowsiness. Sleep apnea sufferers also have an increased risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.
How to Treat It
For mild sleep apnea, weight loss, avoiding sleeping on the back, and abstaining from alcohol may be enough to promote restful sleep. For moderate to severe apnea, however, the most effective treatment — and the one I use — is an automatic or continuous positive airway pressure (APAP or CPAP) device. A mask worn over the face is attached to an air blower that forces air through the nasal passages, keeping the airway from closing during sleep. Since I began using my device, I no longer snore and I sleep like a baby — and so does my wife.
