The Hidden Link Between Sleep and Daytime Fatigue

It’s evident that if you don’t get a good night’s sleep, you will feel the effects the next day in the form of daytime fatigue and irritability. Unfortunately, people who are chronically tired the next day and experiencing daytime fatigue may not understand the hidden link between sleep and daytime drowsiness.

You don’t have to suffer from the detrimental effects of sleep deprivation day after day. When you understand the cause of your sleep issues and uncover the hidden issues that contribute to your daytime restlessness, you can take proactive steps to improve the quality of your sleep and combat daytime fatigue.

What Is Daytime Fatigue?

Daytime fatigue is a condition that causes people to feel drowsy, sleepy, or restless after a night of what they perceive to be enough sleep. It can also cause a person to feel irritable, drowsy, and mentally foggy. Not only does it affect a person’s normal daily routine, but it can also lead to overall poor performance in school or at work, cause memory problems, and lead to significant accidents, like car crashes. People often feel less motivated and have less energy, which can also cause problems in their family and social lives.

People should not brush off daytime fatigue, especially if they experience it several days a week. While you may hit the sack at the same time every night and think you are getting a solid seven to nine hours of sleep, your body is telling you otherwise. Daytime fatigue can indicate a hidden and serious sleep condition like sleep apnea.

Understanding Sleep Apnea and the Link Between It and Daytime Fatigue

Studies suggest that sleep apnea may affect as many as 25 million U.S. adults. Unfortunately, many people do not even know that they suffer from this condition.

Sleep apnea is a disorder characterized by repeated interruptions in breathing patterns during sleep, which can occur multiple times throughout the night. Sleep apnea can significantly interrupt a person’s normal sleep cycle. The most common form of the disorder is obstructive sleep apnea, which occurs when a blockage or narrowing of a person’s airway while they sleep prevents them from breathing. The collapse of the soft palate or the relaxation of muscles that control the airway are usually to blame for this blockage.

When breathing is restricted or stops, the brain enters survival mode, telling the body to wake up and breathe again. Although a person may not even realize that it is happening, they are continually waking up throughout the night, interrupting the four stages of sleep. The problem is that most people believe they are getting a full night’s rest without realizing that the interruption in their breathing is disrupting their sleep, leading to side effects like daytime fatigue.

Some of the most common symptoms associated with sleep apnea include:

• Daytime fatigue
• Snoring
• Dry mouth
• Sore throat
• Waking up and gasping for breath at night
• Morning headaches
• Irritability or changes in mood

What most sleep apnea sufferers don’t know is the link between sleep apnea and daytime fatigue can lead to other serious health complications. Untreated sleep apnea can increase the risk of medical conditions like heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and psychiatric problems like depression and anxiety. Sleep apnea is also linked to an increased risk of developing dementia.

Sleep Apnea Treatment Options

Finding the hidden cause of your daytime fatigue starts with a physical exam, medical history, and a sleep study. A sleep study involves a team of medical professionals monitoring and evaluating your sleep. This sleep study can help your doctor uncover and diagnose sleep disorders like sleep apnea.

With a diagnosis, your doctor can outline your treatment options to help you get a better night’s rest. Changes to your lifestyle and sleep routines, oral appliances, and wearing a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine are all treatment options that can help you breathe better and get a whole night’s sleep, combating daytime fatigue and other medical issues associated with sleep apnea.

Better Quality Sleep Starts Tonight

Are you ready to beat daytime fatigue? At Silent Night Therapy of Babylon Dental Care, our sleep professionals want to get to the bottom of your sleep issues and help you find solutions to rest easy at night. Sleep apnea and daytime fatigue may go hand in hand, but you don’t have to let an undiagnosed sleep disorder disrupt your life.

Call our office at (631) 983-2463 or contact us online to arrange a complimentary sleep consultation.