Excessive daytime sleepiness is a common symptom of obstructive
sleep apnea. But a new study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep
Medicine shows that many people with sleep apnea have other
complaints: fatigue, tiredness or a lack of energy. The study
also shows that treating sleep apnea with CPAP therapy can help
reduce all of these symptoms. The study involved 313 people with
sleep apnea. They had an average age of 55 years. Before
treatment more than half of participants complained of a lack of
energy or tiredness. About 46 percent complained of fatigue; a
little less than 40 percent complained of sleepiness. Women were
more likely than men to report having a lack of energy. Results
show that these daytime symptoms improved in participants who
reported using CPAP for five or more hours per night. The change
was statistically significant for every complaint except lack of
energy. “We found that sleep apnea patients who used their CPAP
regularly…had much greater success in reducing their fatigue,
tiredness and s