Q: I am 29 years old and have a very peculiar problem. The problem is that when I wake up in the morning, I feel as if I have not slept (even though I would have had 7-8 hours of sleep) and I don't feel fresh for a long time. My head is pretty heavy and the whole world is very confusing at the same time as I am not able to concentrate. During the day I get to normal but again feel very tired by the evening. I used to be an active sports person and because of me not being able to get out of bed in the morning, the habit is dying down. Can you help me suggest a course of action to correct this problem and get my energy levels back?

A:Each of us require different amount of night time sleep - some may get along with 6 hours and some need up to 9 or more hours of sleep. The best way to gauge is to look at how we feel the next day. Therefore, if you are tired/sleepy the next day, it is possible that either you are not getting enough amount of night time sleep OR your night time sleep quality is poor. In your case it is possible that you need more night time sleep - however, I would suggest that if you do snore, you might want to get checked up by a sleep specialist/sleep testing done to rule out sleep apnoea which can make you sleepy the next day. If you do not snore, attempt to get at least 2 more hours than your usual night time sleep duration and see how you feel. If this does not seem to make any difference then you might need to be examined for other possible conditions (depression, narcolepsy, idiopathic hypersomnia, etc) contributing to such daytime sleepiness/tiredness by a sleep specialist.