Hello. i’ve just joined the community! For about 10years i’ve had very light sleep. I never have problems falling asleep, but I believe I wake multiple times in the night - only for short amounts of time. I’m often not fully aware of being awake, though usually I’m aware enough to know I’m not sleeping - I’m in a kind of intermediate half-sleep state. I always wake up feeling thinned out and anxious, I never wake up feeling refreshed.
I have been getting progressively more and more exhausted during the days, and now when I see myself in the mirror I am shocked at how bloodshot my eyes are and how chronically under-slept I look. I feel constantly irritable and grumpy and it’s affecting my relationships. So I take from this that I must be getting poor quality sleep, despite not being totally aware of it.
For a while I wondered if I had sleep apnea (my dad has it), and this was the reason I had poor quality of sleep. However, I don’t fit the at-risk traits, and so medical professionals haven’t been willing to pursue that as a possibility (I live in the UK).
I have tried numerous improvements to sleep hygiene, and stress management, but not yet had any success in better sleep quality.
Are there any suggestions or solutions to this? it’s now been going on for so many years that I am starting to feel pretty hopeless. thanks Amelia
You are not alone.
I never gave up and slowly I’m regaining sleep quality.
There are so many little ways that can help!
Hi Amelia, I’m no expert. I went to the GP saying I’m sleeping, not waking during the night but I’m tired. She said you’re just getting old.
Absolutely incorrect. After 2 years of hell, I literally fell apart.
Changed GP told my story, had a sleep study, ahi 27. But struggling with my speech and balance. Utterly exhausted. It didn’t need to get this bad as I knew something wasn’t right and asked for help.
I suggest a sleep study to see if you have apnea.
I have total empathy for you. I wish more Drs were helpful and actually listened to their patients. You can absolutely have sleep apnea and one of the main risk factors is genetic, so the fact that your dad had it, makes you at risk as well.You dont have to fit into their “at-risk” traits to have it. If you can do a sleep study at home and take the results in to your Dr, maybe he’ll believe you! I have seen online tests that they mail to you. Its not as in-depth as a monitored sleep study, but it may help.The symptoms that you’re having are very common in sleep apnea. I really hope you find someone to help you! Its definitely worth your life to fight for help with this!
My dentist made what he calls a dental appliance for sleep apnea. Wore it and immediately my sleep as recorded on my watch increased 150-200%. I now wake refreshed and my memory, thinking and energy levels are so much improved. I cant believe how helpful it has been.