Does Sleep Apnea Cause Daytime Sleepiness?

by Sleepy James
(Boston)

I'm feeling very sleepy during the day. I don't have insomnia, because I know that I'm sleeping all the night. But I want to sleep all day. Do you think I have sleep apnea?

Thanks!

Answer

Hi James,

In your question lies the answer. One of the most common symptom of sleep apnea is tiredness during the day.

The scientists call this symptom excessive daytime sleepiness.

If you have this symptom for a couple of months, then something is wrong. It's clear that you don't sleep very well.

Excessive tiredness results mainly from frequent awakenings from sleep. The patients with sleep apnea have this problems, because they stop breathing in sleep so they wake up gasping and snorting, but then they fall asleep again. And this happens over 50 times at night in many cases!

Another cause can be narcolepsy, when you suddenly fall asleep in daytime.

Click here if you want to learn more about symptoms of sleep apnea.