‘Do you feel tired?’

Diagrammatic representation of factors that promote airway collapse and keep airway patent. From: Obstructive sleep apnoea. The Lancet, Volume 360, Issue 9328, Pages 237–245. Atul Malhotra, David P White.

Sleep. Everyone needs it – but not everybody gets it. Whatever the cause, insomnia can impact dramatically on our wellbeing. But few of your patients will realise that the root of their restlessness could be dental-related. Many dismiss the possibility of there being an underlying problem, despite spending their day feeling sleepy before crashing on the sofa as soon as they walk through the door.

After all, isn't that how everybody feels? In short – no. We all roll out of bed and have those days where we feel exhausted before even walking out of the front door – but, gradually, the fatigue subsides and we get on with it. When every waking minute starts to feel like a bit of a chore, that's when alarm bells should be ringing.