I thought I was exhausted by being a single, middle-aged parent. I learned sleep apnea was the culprit.
For years, I blamed my fatigue on age, stress, and single parenting.Then a sleep apnea diagnosis helped me understand why I never felt rested.Once I felt rested, I realized I'd been making decisions through the fog of chronic exhaustion.As a 48-year-old single mom working full-time and raising two teenagers in Seattle, one of America's most expensive cities, I was exhausted. I'd recently represented myself in a prolonged divorce and custody case, was struggling to make a living as a freelance communications consultant, and worried constantly about how to pay the bills.I desperately wanted to improve my circumstances, but I was just too tired.
Reported by 1 outlet — Business Insider. See all sources ↓
For years, I blamed my fatigue on age, stress, and single parenting.Then a sleep apnea diagnosis helped me understand why I never felt rested.Once I felt rested, I realized I'd been making decisions through the fog of chronic exhaustion.As a 48-year-old single mom working full-time and raising two teenagers in Seattle, one of America's most expensive cities, I was exhausted. I'd recently represented myself in a prolonged divorce and custody case, was struggling to make a living as a freelance communications consultant, and worried constantly about how to pay the bills.I desperately wanted to improve my circumstances, but I was just too tired. I felt overwhelmed, with no way out, when all I wanted to do was nap.My world felt like it was getting smaller by the day as my inner critic suggested, "Maybe you're just lazy."I thought this was what midlife was supposed to feel likeWhen my boyfriend and I vacationed in Hawaii for two weeks, all I wanted to do was sleep, but even that was thwarted by his loud, chronic snoring.At the end of the vacation, instead of feeling rested and relaxed, I was so stressed that I threatened to end the relationship if he didn't get it checked out immediately.When we returned home, he was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and started treating it with a CPAP machine.Once he began sleeping better, he noticed that I, too, was snoring and gasping for air at night, which surprised me since I associated the condition with older, overweight men, not middle-aged women like me.So I was even more surprised to learn that I also had OSA. And although I was relieved to know there was a reason for my symptoms, I wasn't hopeful.
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- What's the story?
- For years, I blamed my fatigue on age, stress, and single parenting.Then a sleep apnea diagnosis helped me understand why I never felt rested.Once I felt rested, I realized I'd been making decisions through the fog of chronic exhaustion.As a 48-year-old single mom working full-time and raising two teenagers in Seattle, one of America's most expensive cities, I was exhausted. I'd recently represented myself in a prolonged divorce and custody case, was struggling to make a living as a freelance communications consultant, and worried constantly about how to pay the bills.I desperately wanted to improve my circumstances, but I was just too tired.
- How widely is it covered?
- 1 outlet, average source rating 6.0/10.
- When was it last updated?
- 13m ago.
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I thought I was exhausted by being a single, middle-aged parent. I learned sleep apnea was the culprit.
Sources1TypeCoverageBusiness Insider