Brain Fog: Understanding Excessive Daytime Sleepiness & Sleep Apnea

Research has shown that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been linked with heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and a myriad of other serious illnesses, diseases, and health conditions. However, when we talk with many of our sleep apnea patients, their lives are most affected by sleep apnea in a different and simpler way: the sleep disorder robs them of their sleep and, in doing so, robs them of happy, productive, and alert days. Some of the most commonly reported symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea include:

• excessive daytime sleepiness
• chronic and extreme fatigue
• lack of energy
• difficulty concentrating
• memory issues
• slow reaction times
• brain fog
• the inability to stay awake during tasks

The Serious Issue of Excessive Daytime Sleepiness

Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is far more grave than just feeling drowsy or run down every now and then. Related to narcolepsy, EDS is a deeply felt, ongoing, and sometimes uncontrollable need to sleep during the day. Sufferers may feel relentlessly tired, fall asleep during tasks, and have trouble remembering what they’ve done or what they need to do. In many cases, EDS is caused by other sleep disorders, such as insomnia or sleep apnea. EDS often has a devastating effect on patients, especially after months or years of suffering from the problem. Daytime drowsiness and brain fog can significantly lower the quality of your life, from your career to your relationships to your physical safety. Those suffering from EDS may report:

• Not waking up feeling rested or refreshed.
• Falling asleep at critical times, such as behind the wheel of a vehicle.
• Not being able to correctly complete tasks at work due to drowsiness.
• Falling asleep during daily activities, such as eating a meal.
• Not being able to engage in conversations or interactions due to drowsiness.
• Requiring a nap or multiple naps during the day in order to properly function.
• Having difficulty recalling what you have just done or said.

How Sleep Apnea Causes Excessive Daytime Sleepiness

Those who suffer from OSA sometimes wake up dozens of times in a single hour during the night – each time their body struggles to take a full breath. This chronic, repeated waking makes it impossible for sufferers to enter into deep sleep, which allows the body and brain to truly rest and rejuvenate. When you wake up feeling like you haven’t slept at all, you aren’t far off from the mark. You’ve missed out on critical parts of the sleep cycle.

Surgical Sleep Solutions for Excessive Daytime Sleepiness & Sleep Apnea

Our patients who undergo sleep apnea surgery often realize that they have taken a big step to improve their overall health. But almost all of them immediately remark upon how bimaxillary advancement surgery has given them back the gift of awake, alert days. They feel ready and willing to succeed at work, their relationships improve, and the brain fog that has followed them through life has been lifted. We invite you to learn more about our surgical solution for sleep apnea, and to learn what is done to end excessive daytime sleepiness for our patients. To learn more, or to schedule a consultation, please call (855) 560-7378 or fill out our form below. [gravityform id="14" name="Contact Us Today" title="false"]