I am 22 years old. Despite sleeping 8 hours every night, I am still extremely tired in the morning. I doze off very easily and taking coffee does not help.
This has affected me greatly in my work and even my social life, as I am so tired sometimes that I simply cannot concentrate.
Dr Stephen Lee, Specialist in Ear, Nose & Throat Surgery, Raffles Hospital
Extreme sleepiness occurring in spite of adequate hours of sleep should be investigated. Daytime sleepiness, inability to concentrate and dozing off easily are often symptoms of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea means the individual has periods of reduced or no air flow happening many times during the night. Sleep apnea could be arising secondary to obstructive cause or central cause. Obstructive cause means that there is narrowing of the airway during sleep, whereas central cause means that there is a problem with the stimulation to breathing occurring at the level of the brain.
You need to be examined to diagnose the condition. It would be necessary for the doctor to assess your airway. This is done quite easily by an ENT doctor. It would then be necessary to undertake a sleep study for the purpose of establishing (or refuting) the diagnosis of sleep apnea, whether it is obstructive or central in nature, the degree of severity, and quite importantly also the level(s) which are causing the obstruction in the case of obstructive sleep apnea.
Once the diagnosis is confirmed, and the above information ascertained, your doctor can discuss the treatment options available to solve your problem.