Often Feeling Tired Despite Long Sleep? Recognize Symptoms Of Sleep Apnea

Illustration of sleeping women (Photo: Instagram/@diana.gytsku)

JAKARTA - Adequate and quality sleep is one of the important keys to maintaining health. But have you ever felt tired even though you've been sleeping all night? It could be that you have a sleep problem called sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea is a condition when a person's breathing stops and starts again repeatedly while sleeping. As a result, the body does not get enough oxygen at night.

According to Cody Allen, Director of Operations as well as clinical sleep specialist in Ontario Sleep Care, the most common sign of sleep apnea is snoring.

"The thing that appears the most often is snoring. When someone starts snoring, it can be a sign of danger," he told CTV Your Morning Ottawa.

But not everyone who snoring must have sleep apnea. Even so, snoring remains the most common symptom to watch out for. Another sign that often appears is to always feel tired every time you wake up or often sleepy during the day.

"If you are constantly tired, you can't do activities without drinking a lot of coffee, or it's hard to stay until the night because you're very sleepy, that's a sign you need to see a doctor and maybe have a sleep test," Allen said.

In addition, other symptoms that can arise include difficulty sleeping, often waking up at night, to depression due to prolonged fatigue.

Sleep apnea is experienced more often by men, especially those in middle age and older, and those who have excess weight. Lifestyles such as smoking and drinking alcohol can also worsen this condition.

If not treated, sleep apnea can trigger various serious complications such as high blood pressure (hypertension), extreme fatigue during the day, weight gain, metabolic syndrome, and chronic headaches.

For people with sleep apnea, a tool called CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) is still the main choice to overcome this disturbance.

Allen admits that many people are reluctant to use it because they feel uncomfortable.

"It's not fun having to sleep wearing a mask, but this tool can greatly improve sleep quality. After feeling the results, most people have no problem wearing it every night," he said.

The good news is that CPAP technology is now much more sophisticated and practical than it used to be.

"In the past, the equipment was big and noisy, now it's small in size like a laptop or tablet, and the sound is very smooth. The masks are also lighter and more comfortable to wear," he added.

So if you often links loudly, feel tired every day, or find it difficult to focus because you are sleepy, don't take it lightly. It could be that your body is giving a sign that you are experiencing sleep apnea. Immediately consult a doctor and do a sleep test so that the treatment is right from an early age.