Everyone has the occasional sleepless night, but feeling tired and sleepy all the time isn’t normal. If you are having trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or wake up feeling tired, you could have sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is a relatively common sleep disorder, with an estimated 22 million Americans suffering from the condition. Out of all sleep disorders, sleep apnea can be the trickiest to spot. This is because it occurs in the middle of the night, while you’re sleeping. It’s estimated that as many as 80% of people with the disorder go undiagnosed.
Learn more about this common sleeping disorder and what to do if you think you might have it.
What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a disorder where breathing is disrupted while you sleep. This occurs repeatedly throughout the night, causing the sleeper to be awakened just enough to resume breathing. The sleeper is often unaware that they are waking up at all. This results in poor sleep quality and can also have more destructive effects on the body. If you feel tired all of the time, and snore or gasp loudly in your sleep, you may have sleep apnea.
Who is at Risk?
While anyone can have sleep apnea, certain factors put you at a higher risk for developing the disorder. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this includes:
- Being overweight: Having extra pounds can weigh down your upper airway and obstruct your breathing.
- Being a smoker: Smoking causes inflammation of the airways, increasing your risk of developing sleep apnea.
- Being male: Men are four times more likely than women to have the condition.
- Having congestive heart failure (CHF): Sleep apnea and CHF regularly go hand-in-hand.
- Having nasal obstructions: Difficulty breathing through your nose makes you more likely to develop sleep apnea.
How Can Sleep Apnea Affect Me?
Some people like to say that they will “sleep when they’re dead,” but lack of sleep can seriously affect your health. Not getting restful sleep can affect your ability to concentrate and may keep you from being able to perform daily tasks. In the long-term, it can even lead to increased risk of certain chronic diseases, including obesity, heart disease and depression. It also puts you at an increased risk for injury. Many accidents, particularly car and other motor vehicle accidents, are partially caused by lack of sleep.
If you think you might have sleep apnea or another sleep disorder, talk to your doctor about having a sleep study done or seeing a sleep medicine specialist.
