Day time sleepiness, is it more common in men than women?

[elena88]

Hi there,
Just asking everyone who is interested to tell their daytime sleepiness story.. Before you were treated for your sleep apnea..

Was daytime sleepiness a really huge problem for you?

Did you take the epworth sleepiness test? IF so what was your score?

My pulmanary doctor commented to me, that she has noticed in her practice, that women frequently do not present with daytime sleepiness,
even if they ended up with severe OSA.. I consistantly rated a zero on the epworth test, and still do, and I am also severe.

What has your experience been? (men and women)

Also what are your thoughts about why women may not present with daytime sleepiness as often as men do?

[sleepmba]

Good question. Studies have shown that of all people that suffer from Sleep Apnea, 2/3 are men. That would lead me to believe that there are more men out there with daytime sleepiness than women. For more information on that, you can Google Extreme Daytime Somnolence or EDS.

[Julie]

Because we're too busy multitasking! Reminds me of a friend long ago who, when asked how she held it together when her husband had a breakdown, said that she was too busy to have one of her own - and she was only half joking!

[elena88]

hi there!

Yes, my doctor mentioned that many women were so busy multitasking, they didnt have time to be sleepy..

My question is directed at those of us who have been diagnosed with OSA..


what are your particular experiences everyone?

[newhosehead]

Hi there,
Just asking everyone who is interested to tell their daytime sleepiness story.. Before you were treated for your sleep apnea..

Was daytime sleepiness a really huge problem for you?

Did you take the epworth sleepiness test? IF so what was your score?

My pulmanary doctor commented to me, that she has noticed in her practice, that women frequently do not present with daytime sleepiness,
even if they ended up with severe OSA.. I consistantly rated a zero on the epworth test, and still do, and I am also severe.

What has your experience been? (men and women)

Also what are your thoughts about why women may not present with daytime sleepiness as often as men do?

Interesting question, elena! I really did not know women present with daytime sleepiness less often than men. So I guess I am in the minority; I was incredibly sleepy although I never fell asleep driving (which is saying something as I had a 125 mile round trip commute every day). I was just so sleepy for about two years before I was finally diagnosed that it was ruining my life. I could (and did when possible) sleep for 10 hours at night, get up for half an hour and sleep the rest of the day, be awake for a couple of hours and repeat. It was awful. I taught at a University and there were days I almost fell asleep in class

I did take the epworth test at my initial visit with my new doctor (who I love for finally getting the diagnosis after countless others failed) and I don't remember my score, but I know it was high.

I have no idea why the daytime sleepiness would be more prevalent in men. Could it be age-related? I just turned 58 so do not have children at home. I will be interested to see more responses to this. By the way, I can, and do, multitask I don't want to seem too "manly" in this poll!

Jeanette

[SleepingUgly]

I'm surprised by your doctor's perception. I would think the opposite would hold, if there's any gender difference at all.

Personally I have been excessively sleepy for over two decades. My EDS and my cognitive deficits are my biggest problems.

[Jettagram]

I knew I was always tired, figured it was from menopause, excess weight, demanding job, working two jobs at times, running around with the grandkids, cooking, cleaning, etc. Figured the sleep problems were from hormone changes since the worst of the sleep problems seemed to manifest at that time. (Browsing this forum and reading up on apnea, I realize I have had sleep disturbances since I was a child, and guessing apnea since I was a teen)
I changed caseload type at work 16 months ago, had a whole bunch of new rules and regulations to learn....couldn't coast on my prior knowledge any longer. Several days a week, I would walk in the door from work and hubby would take one look at me and ask "What would you like me to cook for supper tonight?"
I was diagnosed with moderate/severe OSA (de-sats as low as 78%) last January, have been on treatment since 2/23/10. Now I can see just how tired I was! I just ignored it an carried on with what I had to do each day. Thanks to my new MD who is aware of the symptoms of apnea and referred me to a pulmonary for a sleep study!

[Gracey]

Prior to my therapy for OSA, I didn't so much feel tired, BUT if I sat down and closed my eyes, I could fall asleep. I also multi tasked furiously, feeling quite panicked about everything. When the phone rang, I wanted to throw it against the wall, but answered nicely and dealt with whatever the caller wanted. That was how stressed I felt. I no longer freak when the phone rings.

Within an hour of waking, I could easily have gone back to sleep. That was another indication of my daytime sleepiness. Now, I can even think of returning back to sleep after I'm up and about, unless I've had a bad night.

Driving used to make me very tense, but it's improved a bit.

You're right. I think there's a cultural gender difference here. As women we're so wired to be doing everything for everyone, with less or little regard for one's own physical or emotional state.

Now my daytime activities have a little more focus and continuity... whereas before I was scattered in all directions.

Hope this helps.

_______________________________




Yes, my doctor mentioned that many women were so busy multitasking, they didnt have time to be sleepy..

My question is directed at those of us who have been diagnosed with OSA..


what are your particular experiences everyone?[/quote]

[Julie]

I wonder if part of it isn't due to anatomy - men are more "apples" and women are "pears" - the majority of men (though not all, of course) will carry their weight in front to a large extent, while women first grow it in the behind, and 'apples' are known to be more susceptible to cardiovascular disease, which of course could likely make them feel tired a lot compared to women, though I imagine things level out a bit as we get older. Plus more men do work which is physically stressful, and then wash it all down with gallons of beer, whereas while more women run around a lot, dealing with more tasks, the individual tasks tend to be less physically demanding on an ongoing basis, even if particular ones entail carrying laundry loads, or heavy files. Our 'relief' is more likely going to be food, the kind that's not good for us, but I wonder if it makes up for all the liquor that men drink. Lots of stereotypes here, but something to think about?

[Redeye]

Pre-CPAP, my Epworth was a 15, self-administered on a UK web site. I had sufferred from profound sleepiness between about 1 and 3 or 4 in the afternoon. I was almost unable to work and relished opporunities to close my eyes during those hours. I had had this forever, it seems, 20+ years at least. Knock on wood, it appears that CPAP (almost 2 months) has fixed this. I am amazed and in awe of the effect this appears to be having. It's like OMG! Fortunately, I never fell asleep driving a car, but was in one once a long time ago when the driver fell asleep. Thank heaven the driver recovered before we went over a cliff or something. He was college-age at the time.

I think it says M to the left, but in case it doesn't, this answer to the pollers question is from a M. Thanks.

Redeye

[brazospearl]

Interesting question. I wonder if hormones influence this? I was slightly sleepy on the Eppworth scale, but I was tired ALL THE TIME. There's a difference between "sleepy" and "tired," you know. I've had sleep problems since I was a child, and I never realized how tired I was. I mean, I knew I was tired, but, gracious I feel so much better now! These days, I feel less "tired" and more "sleepy" when it's time to go to bed. I can't describe the difference, but if you've felt this you know what I mean!

[jnk]

Interesting question. I wonder if hormones influence this? I was slightly sleepy on the Eppworth scale, but I was tired ALL THE TIME. There's a difference between "sleepy" and "tired," you know. I've had sleep problems since I was a child, and I never realized how tired I was. I mean, I knew I was tired, but, gracious I feel so much better now! These days, I feel less "tired" and more "sleepy" when it's time to go to bed. I can't describe the difference, but if you've felt this you know what I mean!

A particularly well-worded post, IMO, that.

The combination of biological differences and cultural expectations can make for a mixed bag.

Could it be that when a man describes his feeling as "sleepy," a woman might tend to associate the same sensation as "tired"? Could it be that many women have individually, and from a young age, adapted to soldiering on despite feeling sluggish during certain times during their hormonal cycle, whereas men are quicker to report, unasked, what may, for them, be a mostly unfamiliar sensation?

I believe that, unfortunately, many doctors, male and female docs alike, may tend to consider a male complaining of certain symptoms to be more credible than a female complaining of the same symptoms. And that is a real shame, if it is true. It would be a type of sexual prejudice.

Could it be that there are often differences in communication styles with males and females when dealing with people considered to be in authority? I don't know. But if doctors were more sensitive to all such differences, maybe they would put more effort into asking women how they were sleeping and how they felt upon awakening in the morning. Then doctors might find that just as many women, if not more women than men, suffer from the effects of sleep difficulties, whether those women would choose to describe those effects as their being "sleepy" or not.

jeff

[Julie]

Sleepy is when you can't keep your eyes open, even if you've been sitting all day. Tired is when you've been working hard, especially physically, but may still not be sleepy at all.

[jnk]

Sleepy is when you can't keep your eyes open, even if you've been sitting all day. Tired is when you've been working hard, especially physically, but may still not be sleepy at all.

I like those definitions, even if one may express an extreme, and the other, a common healthy experience. It may have a lot to do with whether the sleepiness is excessive and whether the tiredness is more a stress-related fatigue that is unrelated to physical exertion. To me, there is a good kind of tired and a bad kind of tired, in that the tiredness can reach the point of a medically significant malaise.

My experience is that I was able to stay awake even with what I now consider extreme sleepiness. I managed to find ways to keep my eyes open behind the wheel out of willpower and tricks. And I found I was tired even when I hadn't worked at all. My fatigue was much more mental, emotional, and spiritual, than physical. But hey, that's just me.

Some of the confusion (mine, anyway) may be based on the common definitions of the English words. For example, Merriam-Webster defines "sleepy," in part, as "sluggish . . . lethargic."

I agree that defining the difference is important when it comes to a patient explaining symptoms to a sleep doc. Especially since it is, unfortunately, all too common for the sleepiness to get fixed even though the tiredness continues.