Do people actually wake up refreshed?

Yes. It happened to me once, about 25 years ago.

Same. Never. Ever. It's like I didn't even sleep.

Honestly, no. I can't remember the last time I woke up feeling refreshed from a regular night's sleep, the one that matters more.

But weirdly, if I take a day nap, tired or not, I'd say over 60% of the time I wake up feeling pretty good. I just can't figure out why.

I hadn't for over 20 years, until two weeks ago. I tried absolutely everything, but for me it was taping my mouth shut before bed. I made it to my mid 30s counting the restful nights on one hand. Now I've had two weeks in a row. Life changing.

Yes, but only after I started setting an alarm for the same time every day. Weekdays, weekends, holidays. Eventually I started waking up naturally at that time no matter when I went to bed. And no more snoozing or turning the alarm off half asleep.

The only time I woke up feeling 100% awake was after my first night on a CPAP machine during a sleep study. The tech watched my numbers all night and I woke up feeling alive.

I've been chasing that feeling ever since. 13 years and counting.

Sleep apnea isn't necessarily gasping for air. It can just be decreased airflow that affects your oxygen levels a lot.

Ask your doctor to refer you for a sleep study. It can take a while to get in and get to treatment, so start the process as soon as you can.

I feel like the only time I wake up refreshed is on vacation. Even when I sleep 8 to 10 hours I still feel tired and want to stay in bed. Weekday or weekend, it takes me hours to feel awake.