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Always Exhausted? This could be sign of sleep apnea

Written by ResMed India | Dec 18, 2020 10:08:37 AM

Everyone can feel sleepy now and again.  But trying to function through fatigue is a different story – particularly if it doesn’t let up. If you’re too tired to have a good conversation, even after a full night’s sleep, or you have struggled not to fall asleep behind the wheel or in a meeting, don’t let this pattern linger. It’s time you investigate why you’re always tired and find a reason for your exhaustion – as well as a solution to treat it

What could be causing my fatigue?

There are potentially many factors behind excessive sleepiness. Is there something major happening in your life that has put you on edge? Can you pinpoint something at work that has you particularly stressed out? Or have you started taking any new medications? Perhaps nothing comes to mind, but deep down inside you know that you shouldn’t feel so tired. Something’s not right

One of the most common sleep problems

Another cause of fatigue is sleep apnea – tone of the most common sleep disorder. In India, it’s estimated that more than 6 million people have sleep apnea but 80% remain untreated and undiagnosed[1].It’s important that if you think you might have sleep apnea you seek treatment immediately as it can be dangerous if left untreated. Being proactive and taking steps in the right direction is key. If you’re still fighting fatigue once you’ve consumed the crucial information contained in this guide, you need to rule out sleep apnea. You may also want to take our Free Online Sleep Assessment. This will take only a few minutes and will give you an indicator of Sleep Apnea Risk.

What happens if I don't treat sleep apnea. Is it dangerous?

Absolutely. If you do have sleep apnea, it can put an extreme strain on your body so the sooner you seek treatment for the disorder the better. As you sleep, the disorder makes you stop breathing for a few seconds, which causes you to choke. Not only does this sound unsettling to your bedtime partner, but the loss of air reduces your circulation of oxygen and can have major consequences, such as putting increasing pressure on your body’s metabolic systems. In some extreme cases of sleep apnea, people can unknowingly stop breathing more than a hundred times per night! [2]. It’s easy to see how that constant sleep disruption would cause someone to feel exhausted during the day. Sleep has more of a bearing on your overall health than you might realize. If left untreated, sleep apnea can even increase the risk of other health problems such as high blood pressure, depression, stroke and type 2 diabetes.[3]

If you feel exhausted during the day or having sleeping issues then it might be worth taking our sleep assessment to determine if you are at risk of sleep apnea.