ASK THE PHYSICIAN
Marcella M. Frank, D.O., FACOI, FCCP, FAASM
Attending Pulmonologist
Department of Pulmonary Medicine
Institute for Sleep Medicine
Deborah Heart and Lung Center
Q: I try to get enough sleep, somewhere between
7 and 8 hours most nights, but I’m still waking up exhausted and
drag myself through the day. I’ve always been a snorer, but now my
wife says it’s gotten much worse. I’m falling asleep at my computer
and…have even dozed off in traffic, which is really bad! I can’t keep
this up much longer — help, please!
-Mike P., Delran, NJ
A: Mike, there could be a number of reasons for your daytime fa-
tigue. Although the number of hours of sleep you report is probably
adequate, the quality of sleep is not restoring your alertness. One
of the most common sleep problems that often causes daytime fa-
tigue is sleep apnea. This condition causes an abnormal breathing
pattern at night and may involve shallow breathing or even paus-
es in breathing. The abnormal breathing disrupts your sleep often,
preventing deep restorative sleep from occurring.
When you don’t get enough oxygen while you’re sleeping at night,
it can make you tired or even exhausted during the day. Over time,
this can have a number of other health consequences, including
high blood pressure and cardiac arrhythmias.
Treatment for sleep apnea can decrease risks of serious health
problems and restore your daytime function quickly. Because you
are concerned about your daytime fatigue, a sleep study would be
beneficial, and I recommend it!
For an appointment or more information about how Deborah Heart
and Lung Center’s leading-edge technologies can improve your qual-
ity of life, call 800-555-1990 or visit www.demanddeborah.org.
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