Is work a drag? Do you dream desperately of the weekend, your next vacation, or, even better, retirement? Did you used to love your job, but now it’s just one long grind? You might be considering another job, but maybe it’s not the job that’s the problem. It might be sleep apnea that is making your workweek so terrible.
Here’s how sleep apnea could be making your workday awful.
Waking up Is Harder
Your workday begins bright and early, but there’s nothing bright about you this early. You are bleary-eyed, worn out, and feel like you’ve gotten hardly any sleep. It doesn’t matter if you went to bed early. Even if you thought you fell asleep right away, you might feel like you didn’t get any sleep. That’s because sleep apnea may have caused you to wake up hundreds of times during the night, keeping you from reaching the rejuvenating deep levels of sleep.
You might also be waking up with a headache, related either to the oxygen deprivation or the tooth clenching that can come with sleep apnea. The tooth clenching might also cause your teeth to be sore or cause a pain in your neck.
And you may be waking up with a dry mouth and the worst morning breath imaginable because you’ve been breathing through your mouth most of the night.
Your Commute Is Rougher
Having had a restless night, neither your body nor your mind are prepared for the challenges of your commute.
You are likely very sleepy, and are likely to doze off behind the wheel. Even if you don’t fall asleep, you can lose focus and are more likely to get into an accident.
On top of that, your lack of sleep can make you impatient and irritable, turning your commute into an angry hour or more of frustrations. Being stuck in traffic can make you want to just move, and your impaired judgment due to lack of sleep can cause you to make bad decisions that can earn you a ticket or cause an accident.
Your Attitude Is Worse
Remember how exciting your job used to be? How it used to be rewarding to do it and do it well? You might think that you lost the joy because it’s turned into a grind, but it might not be the job that’s changed, it might be you.
Sleep apnea can have many negative effects on your mood. It can cause a perpetually low mood, and it can make it harder for you to enjoy the things you used to enjoy. And that includes your work.
Your Days Are Longer
Afternoon sleepiness that makes it hard to focus can also be caused by sleep apnea. Because you’re not sleeping at night, you will feel sleepy during the afternoon. You might need frequent caffeine boosts to try to keep from falling asleep. This may only work a little, and instead you may find that you are feeling more angry and irritable instead.
Sleep apnea can also make it harder for you to focus on the task at hand. When you’re unable to focus, you can’t get engrossed in your work, which makes the time fly by. Instead, you will find yourself looking at the clock more often, taking frequent breaks, whether at your desk or away from it, and you’ll spend much of the day watching the clock and wishing it would move.
Enjoy Work — and Life — again
Sleep apnea can sap the joy from everything in your life: food, drink, hobbies, sex, and other things you used to enjoy can all become diminished. But with comfortable, convenient sleep apnea treatment, you will find that you have energy to do the things you used to do, clarity of mind to focus on the challenges that make life rewarding, and a better mood so you are able to enjoy things again.
If you’re ready to live life to the fullest again, it’s time to treat sleep apnea. In the Detroit area, please call (248) 480-0085 today for an appointment with a sleep dentist at the Michigan Center for TMJ & Sleep Wellness in Rochester Hills.
