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One problem with this approach is that if you've always had dysfunctional sleep, you don't understand what "feeling rested" really means. I had undiagnosed sleep apnea until my late 20s, and it was insane what a difference getting a CPAP made. I literally couldn't conceptualize how fatigued I had been all of my life until I had something to compare it against, and when I finally started getting restorative sleep my whole life changed.

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Yup, exactly this. It feels normal to you, because that's how it's always been and no matter what you do, you never actually get a good night's sleep. I dealt with severe obstructive sleep apnea from my late teens to my mid twenties. I have no idea how I was able to study and graduate college, looking back. I got a CPAP and later corrective surgery and it's completely changed my life. Think about how you feel when you get half your normal sleep. Looking back, that's how I felt every single day.

How did you realize you needed to get a CPAP?

not OP, but if you have sleep apnea, you typically snore very loudly. You may not realize you're doing this because you're asleep and alone, but if you sleep with someone, they will definitely let you know something is wrong and a dr will tell you to get a CPAP machine.

It depends on the type. The most common type, Obstructive Sleep Apnea sounds way worse than loud snoring. If you've ever heard it, it's like the person is suffocating while they sleep (because they almost are).

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