When breathing pauses for a brief moment while sleeping, a person is said to have sleep apnea. Patient with sleep apnea problem finds difficulty in respiring the moment they wake up from sleep. While this interruption becomes a night-long affair, the person does not have a sound sleep and wakes up in the morning only to find that their body and mind are tired. How sleep apnea affects an individual during the day? Here are 7 ways in which sleep apnea can affect us during the daytime.
- Drowsiness and Sluggishness – A person with sleep apnea has not had a sound sleep and hence when the daylight is out the person affected with this problem feels sleepy and sluggish the entire day. They typically end up getting late and their productive work hours are hence affected. In some cases, it is proven that many accidents do happen because of the disturbance in the sleep pattern.
- Waking with Headaches – Morning headaches are common for people with sleep apnea problems. So waking with a headache in the morning can make the entire day worse for an individual.
- Attention Deficit – People with sleep apnea also have trouble paying attention. As a result, they face difficulty in making decisions. This can increase the chances of stress, anxiety and depression.
- Memory Loss – Some patients experiencing sleep apnea for quite some time also report memory loss issues. They often suffer a mild form of memory loss, termed Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). If sleep apnea is not treated on time for such people, a severe form of memory loss termed Dementia may occur.
- Dry Mouths/Sore Throat – People who have sleep apnea breathe through their mouth. As a result, they normally wake up with a dry mouth. To address this, CPAP machines are used to treat sleep apnea. This machine can prevent waking up with a dry mouth.
- Acid Reflux – Some people report heartburn, commonly called Acid Reflux when they have sleep apnea. Sometimes undergoing treatment for acid reflux improves sleep apnea.
- Other Medical Issues – Sleep apnea has the potential to cause other medical conditions like high blood pressure, obesity, problems associated with breathing, endocrine issues, digestion, circulation, nervous breakdown and many more when the issue becomes severe.