I thought perimenopause and middle age were making me exhausted. After years of searching for answers, I learned I had severe sleep apnea. - Business Insider

What the report says

Business Insider published a personal health essay by Los Angeles-based writer Alesandra Dubin describing how years of persistent exhaustion, which she had attributed to perimenopause and the demands of midlife, were ultimately linked to severe sleep apnea. Dubin wrote that at age 48 she was sleeping about eight hours most nights but still felt overwhelmingly tired, often returning to bed after getting her children to school.

According to the essay, Dubin spent years pursuing other explanations and treatments, including hormone-related approaches, medications intended to improve alertness, and caffeine, without meaningful improvement. She said fatigue became a recurring concern at medical appointments until her general practitioner suggested a sleep study to rule out a sleep disorder. A home test later indicated severe sleep apnea, a result she said surprised her because she did not fit the image she associated with the condition, such as loud snoring or obesity.

Dubin wrote that she has begun using a CPAP machine and, after about a month, is still adjusting. She said the treatment has not yet produced a dramatic overnight change, partly because of travel and an inconsistent schedule, but she described the device as easier to use than expected and said she is cautiously hopeful.

The essay’s broader significance is its reminder that fatigue in midlife can have multiple possible causes and may warrant medical evaluation beyond common assumptions about hormones, stress or aging. Business Insider noted Dubin’s awareness that untreated severe sleep apnea is associated with increased cardiovascular and other health risks, while she emphasized that she still does not know how much of her fatigue is due to sleep apnea versus perimenopause or other factors.