One of my patients generously offered to write a blog post after being treated. Here is her story:
For years, I struggled at work. When I left each day, I was in a bad place. I couldn’t focus, and basic tasks felt insurmountable. I cried in the office more than once—something I never imagined myself doing. I had always thought of myself as someone who could handle anything, with a heart of steel. So this level of emotional and physical exhaustion felt foreign.
I was constantly tired. As soon as I got home, I went straight to bed. I could fall asleep in an instant—what people call “falling asleep at the drop of a penny.” It got to the point where I diagnosed myself with narcolepsy. I googled my symptoms and found that modafinil was used by shift workers to stay awake during overnight shifts. I figured it might work for me too. I begged my doctors for stimulant medications such as ADHD medications like Vyvanse or Modafinil -- anything to help me stay awake and focused.
I’ll be honest, sleep apnea never crossed my mind. I thought it was just something overweight, older men got. I was wrong. Bed partners and family in the past had noticed things, but I never took them seriously. Some laughed about the way I’d jerk awake throughout the night. Others noticed that I ground my teeth at night. One even suggested I might have sleep apnea, but I shrugged it off. I didn’t think something as simple as sleep could be the root of my problems. I thought it had to be something more severe—something bigger.
It wasn’t until I saw Dr. Levi for teeth grinding that she encouraged me to get a sleep study that I started to take things seriously. My fatigue had gotten so bad that I couldn’t drive after 4 PM, because I was scared of falling asleep behind the wheel. Admitting that now feels embarrassing, but it’s true. I stopped driving at night altogether.
When I finally agreed to do the sleep study, I wasn’t exactly happy about it. I fought it the whole way. The idea of strapping a device to my finger and wearing something around my nose felt intrusive. It’s supposed to monitor your oxygen levels and breathing patterns, but I found the whole setup frustrating. To make matters worse, I barely slept—maybe an hour in total. But as it turned out, that one hour was all the test needed.
The results were eye-opening. My oxygen levels dropped lower than I was comfortable with, and even though I only technically have mild to moderate sleep apnea, the number of apnea events was enough to wake me up several times an hour. Sleep apnea disrupts your ability to go through the full cycle of sleep, which includes deep sleep and REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, both crucial for physical and mental recovery.
Here’s why that matters: Sleep is divided into stages, from light sleep (Stages 1 and 2) to deep sleep (Stage 3) and REM. Deep sleep is when your body repairs muscles, tissues, and the immune system. REM is where dreams happen, and it’s critical for cognitive functions like memory, learning, and mood regulation. When you have sleep apnea, your body wakes itself up repeatedly to reopen your airway, meaning you rarely make it to deep sleep or REM. Essentially, your body is stuck in a constant state of partial recovery, which leads to the kind of chronic fatigue, mood swings, and illness that I experienced.
Before my diagnosis, I was getting sick all the time and didn’t know why. It was my body’s way of telling me it wasn’t recovering because I wasn’t sleeping properly. Once I learned about the connection between sleep apnea and health, it started to click. Waking up multiple times a night also puts stress on your heart and can lead to long-term health issues like high blood pressure, heart disease, and even strokes.
At first, I was frustrated that insurance wouldn’t fully cover the sleep appliance that Dr. Levi recommended. But in the end, it was the best decision I made. That appliance changed my life. I finally began to experience deep sleep. I became better at my job. I became a better partner, family member, and friend. Dr. Levi, with her expertise and her persistence, saved my life.
If you’re struggling with constant fatigue or feel like you’re not yourself, don’t ignore it like I did. Sleep apnea isn’t just for older, overweight men. It can affect anyone. Get the sleep study. It might not only change your life—it might save it. Sleep apnea doesn’t always look severe from the outside, but the impact it can have on your body is real. You deserve to feel better.
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