Sometimes, being tired just means you should’ve gone to sleep earlier the night before, or that you need something to eat to refuel your mind and body. After you get a good night’s sleep or a nutritious meal, you should get your energy back. However, if you’re consistently tired all the time, especially during the day, then your tiredness may be more than just temporary. At our Houston and Pearland, TX, sleep solutions offices, we can help you determine if your chronic exhaustion is a sign of sleep apnea. If it is, then we can also help you find the appropriate solution to alleviate it.
A Brief Recap of Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a sleep breathing disorder that involves the cessation of your breathing while you sleep. It occurs from an obstruction in your airway, which is caused by mouth and/or throat tissues collapsing into it until you can no longer breathe while you sleep. It doesn’t take long for your body to panic and clear your airway, which rouses it from deep sleep. You’ll settle back down once you can breathe again, but the obstruction will repeat itself – sometimes, up to hundreds of times a night.
The Long-Term Effects
On the surface, the biggest problem with obstructive sleep apnea is that it causes you to snore loudly throughout the night. However, the deeper concern is that, when you repeatedly stop breathing throughout the night, it can interfere with your sleep pattern, your cardiovascular health, and more. When you stop breathing, your brain and vital organs don’t get the oxygen they need. When it happens constantly throughout the night, the oxygen deprivation is more pronounced, and so are the interruptions to your sleep cycle. Because you can never truly fall into deep sleep, you’ll also experience symptoms of sleep deprivation, including (but not limited to) chronic daytime tiredness.
Other Signs Besides Being Tired
Just snoring or just being tired a lot may not be enough to suspect that you have sleep apnea. However, the effects of the condition can be felt in more than that, and you may also experience symptoms such as:
- Heightened irritability and mood swings
- Difficulty remembering things or concentrating
- Chronic headaches and migraines
- A sore throat every morning
- And more
Learn How to Treat Your Sleep Apnea
If you feel tired all the time, snore every night, or experience any other symptoms of sleep apnea, then you should seek treatment from your sleep expert as soon as possible. To learn more, call Houston Sleep Solutions in Spring, TX, at (281) 320-2000, or in Pearland, TX, at (832) 564-3508.
