Many are familiar with this: You can’t move during the day, are constantly tired, can’t concentrate well, and are less productive. Daytime sleepiness is a common phenomenon and can have a variety of causes.
For example, lack of energy: The battery is not sufficiently charged for our workload because we are experiencing a heavy workload, too much stress, private problems or financial worries. Another possible cause is an unhealthy lifestyle: a high-calorie and/or fat diet, too little exercise, and too much alcohol in the evening can make us tired the next day. The same is true for signs of deficiency in iron, magnesium or vitamins.
Lack of evening rest and sleep disorders
Insufficient or sufficiently restful sleep is a trigger for marked daytime sleepiness. Poor sleep hygiene may be the culprit here. That means getting enough rest and a relaxing place to sleep by putting the cell phone away before going to sleep, turning off the TV, and airing out the bedroom. If you don’t slow down, sometimes you start the night too easily.
Insomnia can also be the cause of the problem. One of the most common is the so-called sleep apnea syndrome, which causes those affected to gasp up to thirty times an hour as respiratory arrest occurs repeatedly. Traitor: Those who suffer from sleep apnea often don’t even realize it. It is usually the partner who notices the disturbed sleep of your friend or wife.
Pay attention to the consequences of apnea
Sleep apnea sufferers often snore loudly – interspersed with those pauses in breathing that can last from a few seconds to 30 or more seconds. A restful sleep is not possible in this way. Result: Those affected feel exhausted the next day and may experience difficulty concentrating, headaches and dizziness.
This is a very common phenomenon. According to the Swiss Sleep Research Society, around 800,000 people are affected by sleep apnea in this country – that’s almost a tenth of the entire population. About 80 percent of these remain undiagnosed. But this is exactly what makes them dangerous because of the possible consequences, Prof. Dr. Nikolaus Netzer, head of the Hermann Buhl Hypoxia and Sleep Medicine Research Institute in Lenggries (D), knows. “An analysis of your own sleep is urgently needed if you are suffering from the symptoms listed or if your partner is noticing respiratory pauses. Otherwise, those affected are putting their health at risk.”
In fact, the medium and long-term consequences of undetected sleep apnea should not be underestimated. Multiple respiratory arrests during the night strain the cardiovascular system, leading to high blood pressure and, in the worst case, diabetes, dementia or stroke. That’s why experts recommend analyzing your sleep to find out if you’re affected by sleep apnea.
Simple sleep analysis for the home
The bottom line: You don’t need to go straight to the expensive sleep lab for this. Zurich start-up Sleepiz has developed a compact device that measures the respiratory and heart rate of those affected or suspected of being affected with non-contact and medical precision – comfortably at home in bed. Thanks to the Sleepiz device, you will get results within 3 days. Understand how simple the system works this field report. All information is also available in the simple step-by-step instructions below.
The price factor also plays an important role: an analysis in the lab can quickly add up to a four-digit total. Sleepiz analysis is significantly cheaper, starting at 129 francs. Advice and sleep coaching can also be booked. Important: It is recommended to discuss the data obtained after recording with the Sleepiz device in consultation with a doctor. In the case of sleep apnea, the doctor then orders the appropriate treatment.
Daytime tips help at night
There are also very basic things we can do to sleep better during the day. This includes a balanced diet with foods that are easy to digest and not eaten too late (cooked vegetables, rice, poultry) in the evening. No more than three cups of coffee a day. Enough exercise and enough rest – in short: a good work-life balance. All this should allow us to get the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep a night. Basically, how we act during the day, how we sleep.
For expert Nikolaus Netzer, it is clear what should be the most important goal of all these efforts and Sleepiz sleep analysis: To permanently improve the sleep quality and health of those affected so that daytime sleepiness is a thing of the past. “So that they can spend the day fit and rested.”
How does the Sleepiz system work?
- Device order: Click the button below to receive the desired device by mail.
- Screen sleep: Put the device on the nightstand and turn it on before going to bed. Repeat this for the next two nights.
- Transmission of data: Measurement data is transmitted automatically and securely via the cloud.
- Return the device: Return the device to Sleepiz after three nights of measurement.
- Get report: You will then receive a detailed report of your results, which you can now discuss with your GP.