Sleep experts say that you shouldn’t need an alarm to wake up in the morning, that you should naturally wake up at the right time. That seems like an impossible ideal, but it’s possible for people to get out of bed when their alarm sounds. But if you feel that you didn’t get any sleep between dozing off and the sound of the alarm, you might have sleep apnea to blame. Because of the constant awakening caused by sleep apnea, you probably got much less sleep than the time you spent in bed, and you may never have reached the deeper, restorative levels of sleep that really make you feel rested. And sleep apnea might also be responsible for how terrible you feel when you wake up: a headache, a sore jaw from teeth clenching, and terrible breath from mouth breathing. Plus there’s the glare you get from your spouse on the other side of the bed, who might also feel they didn’t get any sleep — because of your snoring!
Your Commute Feels Endless
Without proper sleep and rest, your body and mind are in no condition to drive. Even if you manage to get your dose of caffeine before leaving the house, it just takes the edge of your tendency to snooze. After a few minutes on the road, you’re feeling sleepy again, and you’re more likely to doze off behind the wheel, especially with the slow-moving traffic that expands your drive into a seemingly interminable hour or more. Or maybe you’re not likely to fall asleep because angry adrenaline is keeping you awake. With less rest, you have less empathy and are more likely to get angry at other drivers. You can also be impatient and make bad decisions when driving, which can lead to tickets, conflicts, and even accidents and violence.
Your Job Sucks and the People Are Worse
There may have been a time you enjoyed your job, but that time is long gone, now. What used to excite you is now extremely boring. The challenges are irritations, and nothing is rewarding. These feelings may be related to sleep apnea, which not only saps your energy, but depresses your mood. As a result of sleep apnea, you might be unable to enjoy your job — or anything else, for that matter — the way you used to. And remember how a lack of empathy affected you on the road? It can be even worse when you’re in the office. You will have no patience for anyone else and their stupid nonsense. You will pounce on other people’s mistakes and are more likely to get into disputes about whose fault it is that things are going wrong. These fights can ruin workplace friendships, making you feel even more isolated and unhappy.
Your Days Drag on
And these unhappy, isolated work days seem to go on forever. Once you barely manage to keep yourself awake through lunch, you find yourself dozing off in the afternoon. You have no interest or energy for anything you have to do. And that leads to boredom. And boredom makes the time go slowly as the afternoon clock seems frozen in place. Staying awake requires frequent caffeine infusions. These make it even harder to focus, and your distraction makes the day seem even longer. Then, when you finally make it through the day, what is your reward but another horrible commute?
Enjoy Work — and Life — Again
Sleep apnea saps the joy from everything, including work. It steals your energy and your enthusiasm. And it leaves you with little or nothing to show for it but an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Fortunately, sleep apnea is treatable with a comfortable, convenient, and easy-to-use oral appliance. Discover your energy and your zest for life again. You’ll be surprised how much of a difference it makes. To learn how much of a difference sleep apnea treatment can make in your life, please call (610) 272-0828 today for an appointment with Philadelphia sleep dentist Dr. Ken Siegel at Dental Excellence of Blue Bell
