ANSWER: What you describe sounds like obstructive sleep apnea. This serious condition occurs when the upper airway is narrowed or blocked by excess tissue, such as fatty deposits in the air passages, or by floppy tissue at the back of the palate.
People with obstructive sleep apnea tend to have narrower airways and larger neck sizes than those without the condition. The combination makes obstruction more likely, especially when lying on the back because airway muscles relax. It strikes men more often than women.
People with obstructive sleep apnea stop breathing during sleep, but they never suffocate. Instead, when oxygen levels fall and carbon dioxide builds up, an emergency signal from the brain triggers arousal, often with a gasp that restores breathing. People with severe obstructive sleep apnea repeat this cycle hundreds of times a night without being aware of what’s happening. They don’t realize how little sleep they are actually getting and, like you, they always feel tired.
Most people with obstructive sleep apnea snore, but many folks who snore don’t have it. In addition to daytime fatigue and loud snoring, other symptoms include restless sleep and morning headaches. Although not everyone with obstructive sleep apnea is overweight, obesity is a major risk factor. Alcohol and sleeping pills make the problem worse by relaxing neck and throat muscles.
It’s important to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea because it can lead to hypertension, heart attacks and strokes. A sleep study is the gold standard for diagnosis.
In general, here’s what happens when you spend the night in a sleep laboratory: You wear your own nightclothes, and you can use a pillow from home. The lab usually provides a regular bed in a private room with an attached bathroom.
After a technician sets up the sleep-monitoring equipment, you’ll be left alone to relax until bedtime. Throughout the night, laboratory staff will monitor the instruments in a nearby control room. You’ll likely undergo polysomnography as well as audio and video recording.
For polysomnography, small wafer-thin electrodes and other sensors are placed on your body. They may be put on your scalp to track brain waves; under your chin to measure fluctuations in muscle tension; near your eyes to measure eye movements; near your nostrils to measure airflow; on your earlobe or finger to measure the amount of oxygen in your blood; on your chest or back to record heart rate and rhythm; on your legs to record twitches or jerks, and over your rib muscles or around the rib cage and abdomen to monitor breathing.