Monthly Health Check: Constant Fatigue May Signal Sleep Apnea

Doctors say the disorder can affect daily life, but spotting the warning signs and seeking treatment can make a major difference.

We continue our monthly health check with a look at sleep apnea. If you feel exhausted all the time, even after what seems like a full night of rest, the cause may be more than a packed schedule.

Doctors say the condition can seriously affect everyday life, but recognizing it early and getting care can lead to meaningful improvement.

Recent data show that nearly 84 million adults in the United States had obstructive sleep apnea, the most common form of the disorder.

One mother said treatment changed her life after years of extreme tiredness.

"It's kind of emotional because it's like now I feel so good," said Liz Pereira, a patient.

For years, Pereira struggled to stay awake at work and at home with her children.

"I could be watching a movie or having a conversation and literally, if they continue the conversation, I will completely fall asleep on the couch and not realize that I fell asleep," she said.

Pereira also remembers waking up with migraines and pain throughout her body.

"I was taking ibuprofen, like, M&Ms, just to go by," she said.

The mother of three finally found relief a few months ago after being diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea and prescribed a CPAP machine and a GLP-1 to treat the condition.

"So for me, wearing this mask is like my best friend. I need the mask," Pereira added.

Sleep apnea is a disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep.

"Your airway gets relaxed and a little fluffy. For some people, it can flutter, that's snoring and in other people, the airway actually pinches closed. And that's associated with drops in oxygen and little mini wake-ups from sleep that interfere with the quality of sleep that you're having," said UConn Health Sleep Center Director Dr. Jennifer Langstengel.

Common symptoms include loud snoring, gasping for air, dry mouth and sleepiness during the day.

Dr. Langstengel says the condition can present differently in men and women.

In women, symptoms such as fatigue and insomnia can sometimes be mistaken for menopause.

"So menopause doesn't directly cause sleep apnea, but the hormone changes of menopause worsen sleep apnea and increase the risk," Dr. Langstengel said.

Pregnant women are also at greater risk.

"Many women are told that being tired is part of pregnancy, and that may be true, but that may also be a sleep disorder that's not getting treated," Dr. Langstengel added.

Excess weight and the natural shape of the airway can also raise the risk of sleep apnea. Dr. Langstengel says getting evaluated quickly is important.

Patients can undergo a sleep study at home or in a sleep lab. The study must run for at least six hours to produce a valid test.

Several treatments are available, including a CPAP machine, a custom-fitted oral appliance and an implanted device.

"And then as an adjunct, and probably one of the big reasons we're getting a lot more referrals right now is GLP-1 therapy is approved for the treatment of moderate to severe sleep apnea and covered by Medicare and Medicaid," Dr. Langstengel said.

Dr. Langstengel says untreated sleep apnea can contribute to serious health problems such as dementia and heart disease.

"I tell a lot of my patients, you know, we have to set your body up to age well and good quality sleep where your brain and your heart and all your organs get good oxygen flow the whole night is an important part of it," Dr. Langstengel added.

She also says more people are monitoring their sleep with wearable devices, though those tools have both benefits and drawbacks.