Chronic Fatigue: How Airway Problems Steal Your Energy

What’s The Link Between Airway Issues And Chronic Fatigue?

Ever feel exhausted yet strangely alert, like your body is sprinting in place? We dive into the hidden link between airway dysfunction, fragmented sleep, and the kind of chronic fatigue that leaves you wired at night, foggy in the morning, and dependent on caffeine to push through. With Dr. Mark A. Cruz, we unpack why many “mystery” symptoms—from pain and brain fog to mood swings—trace back to inefficient breathing and sympathetic overdrive.

We break down the key difference between sleepiness and fatigue, and why that matters for diagnosis and treatment. Sleepiness often points to more advanced obstructive sleep apnea, while fatigue without easy napping is common in upper airway resistance syndrome. Dr. Cruz connects the dots from oxygen and ATP production to inflammation, showing how poor nasal airflow and mouth breathing quietly disrupt restorative stages of sleep. You will hear how early-life airway development, modern environments, and learned breathing habits create a slow spiral that drains energy and shortens patience, focus, and long-term health.

Most importantly, we outline a practical path forward using three pillars: structure, function, and behavior. From clearing nasal congestion and supporting nasal preference to evaluating airway size and stability, small changes can deliver big returns in morning clarity, mid-afternoon stamina, and mood. If you wake unrefreshed, crash by 2 pm, or feel tired but unable to nap, this conversation offers a map back to steady energy and quieter nights.

If this resonated, follow the show, share it with someone who needs better sleep and better days, and leave a quick review so others can find it. Your breath might be the strongest tool you are not using yet.

To learn more about Dr. Mark A. Cruz, DDS. visit:
https://www.MarkACruzdds.com
Dr. Mark A. Cruz, DDS. 
32241 Crown Valley Pkwy #200  
Dana Point, CA 92629  
949-661-1006 

Transcript

Welcome And Airway Focus

SPEAKER_01 0:03

Welcome to Airway Focused Dentistry with Dr. Mark A. Cruz, the show where better breathing leads to better living. If your nights sound like a lawnmower chorus or your energy's stuck on low battery, you're in the right place. Hosted by Dr. Mark A. Cruz, we explore how the airway impacts your sleep, your health, and your smile. So you can breathe, sleep, and be well. Take a deep breath, and let's get started.

SPEAKER_00 0:32

When your airway struggles, your body works overtime, and that hidden strain can drain your energy day after day. Welcome everyone. I'm Julie Schwanzer, co-host and producer in the studio with again the Dr. Mark A. Cruz. Dr. Cruz, it's always great to sit with you and learn from you.

SPEAKER_02 0:49

Well, thank you. Thank you, Julie. I appreciate the opportunity.

Fatigue, Fibromyalgia, And Sleep Links

SPEAKER_00 0:53

So, Dr. Cruz, today we're unpacking the connection between airway issues and chronic fatigue, including how conditions like fibromyalgia may overlap. Could you please expand on this?

SPEAKER_02 1:06

Yeah, well, first of all, I will say that the word fibromyalgia is uh a diagnosis that's not really understood. Um, it is representing a number of seemingly disparate symptoms that get bundled into this word called fibromyalgia. And so uh yeah, there are a lot of studies on it. Same thing with chronic fatigue. Uh I'll argue that the evidence would suggest that invariably fibromyalgia, of which fatigue is a centerpiece symptom, is really related to breathing and uh sleep fragmentation. Um, no questions about it. I'm not based on an opinion. I'm based on really understanding peer-reviewed literature and studies um that um would support that idea. So I mean it's something that I deal with um almost on a daily basis. So um to start off, yes, about fibromyalgia. I I uh uh that's my comment. And I I think we're gonna talk a little bit about fatigue, right? Um fatigue could be an isolated uh symptom, but typically it's uh not. It's associated with many other things and of which fibromyalgia, quote unquote chronic fatigue are part of it. Sometimes, you know, they get misdiagnosed as um part of something called a Blime's disease, which is you know uh almost endemic. Um moles, uh uh molds, uh mold in in the alcohol, you know, um sick building syndrome, you know, volatile and our environment indoors and and things like that. So let's just put those things aside, uh, because those are standalone conditions that uh may or may not be related to you know what we're talking about.

Fatigue Versus Sleepiness Explained

SPEAKER_02 3:04

Um so one of the things that I'm looking at almost on a daily basis uh and and measure uh as an outcome is fatigue, which is different than sleepiness. So we're looking at sleep disorders, everyone's looking at sleepiness because they've got sleep fragmentation, but that's usually associated with end-stage diagnosis of obstructal sleep apnea, which is I always say it's the tip of the iceberg. But the base of that iceberg is upper error resistance syndrome, usually young to middle-aged uh individuals more so that um have fatigue. Fatigue meaning that uh an energy drain. You're you're tired, but if you try to go to sleep, you can't. There's too much adrenaline, right? Uh, this is typically the hype functioning mom who you ask her in the middle of the day, um, you know, if she's tired or fatigued, uh, if she laid down, would she be able to fall asleep? She'd look at you like you're crazy. Are you kidding me? You know, and so uh, which would be different if it was that, right? You know, you got going, right? But um, so it's different. And we actually measure it using what's called a fatigue scale, which is a medically validated uh survey that we use as an outcome measure. So we look at what the score is before and after intervention to see how things are changing and improving. But fatigue is is another way of using it as an inefficient use of the energy that your metabolic is producing. So again, going back to mammals being very efficient with their energy uh consumption and production is a hallmark characteristic of mammals, all mammals. Um the survival is based on being able to be very efficient in cold weather and hot weather, and all these different conditions that allowed mammals really to um to thrive through the eons. And and so what is it that drives that energy? It's called ATP without getting into all the details, but we know everyone knows what ATP is, right? And that's um driven in the production sphere through electron chain transport and the all these things that are allowing us to take in food, break it down into uh glycogen, and that then is metabolized to create ATP at the end of it. Well, in order to do that, you need oxygen that carries electrons to electrons. And um, to take ADP to ATP, you need to breathe. So the breathing is absolutely paramount of it. If you're in sympathetic drive with that chronic low-grade fiber flight, you're burning fuel very inefficiently. You have to make that, you know, all day long. Instead of if you're parasympathetic or rest and digest, you're alert and functioning very efficiently and you're not using or burning as much of that energy.

Energy, ATP, And Inefficient Breathing

SPEAKER_02 6:18

So that by the time that mid-afternoon lull or that early afternoon at one or two o'clock where everyone's reaching for the coffee or the tea, if you've been a good steward of your energy, um, you find that it's not as necessary. Now, let's just put it uh aside. No more circadian rhythms and it varies from person to person. Um, you know, you may have that, but it's usually not affecting you to where you say, Oh, I didn't get it done, I'm gonna do it tomorrow. So that's kind of a telltale thing, is like if I don't get it done by noon, I'm just gonna push it on to the next day. Versus you're very efficient. It's mid-afternoon, you've got three more things, and you get it done, no problem. Right. So you're very efficient. So um fatigue is when you're not using that efficiently. Hit that wall, and now you're really needing uh some kind of help, caffeine in some form. And uh that really is not the way our bodies were designed in a lot of fashion, because at the end of the day, what it does is it uh um creates, it stimulates the production of a lot of inflammatory cytokines, a lot of inflammatory markers that uh affect every organ system in some way or the other that result in symptoms that you get treated in isolation, you know, whether it's irritable bowel syndrome or if it's anxiety or you know, depression because you've got fragmented sleep or this this these chronic problems. Um, but fatigue is that kind of like that center concept, a lot of uh that can be measured easily and that people complain about. And it shortens your life expectancy. It it um um um is a risk factor for acquiring many uh in pro inflammatory preventable diseases of our modern lifestyle. So I I can go on, but I hope that gives some uh insight on the question about fatigue that that people may be suffering from. If you're suffering from that all the time, there's an there's an issue. Now, the fact that you're high functioning, meaning that no matter what, even if it kills you, you're gonna get it done. That's a typical mom, and and you know, she's working and taking care of the kids and you know, meeting quota and getting off planes and trains and automobiles, and and she's just gonna get it done, even if it kills her, then it's happy hour, you know, sharding it will help get you off that ledge. And now you're kind of more chill because it kind of downregulates that spider flight, so to speak. And so, um, and that's okay. But yeah, you're dependent and you're in this cycle where you're always tired. I think it's a little bit of a red flag. And usually what goes hand in hand if you really, you know, talk to that individual, they're not sleeping well. I mean, they wake up unrefreshed. Now they may pop up at an adrenaline mode and they feel like, oh, I'm doing just fine. That's very different than popping up in a good mood, feeling very clear-headed with no problem, uh, where you can maybe take it or leave it if you have that cup of coffee. So just some thoughts.

SPEAKER_00 9:45

And if you could expand too on poor airway function and how that affects restorative sleep, and is it always in that order, or is it ever the other way around where it's you didn't get enough sleep leading to bad airway function?

Inflammation And Life Impact Of Fatigue

SPEAKER_02 9:58

Yeah, it's always that nature-alleric question. It's the chicken or the egg. I always say you need a chicken um and an egg to have your, you know, your your your chicken and your omelet. It really starts around the third trimester of life where um they've done fetal ecography studies where the the um the the embryos is really developing a lot of the reflexes to transition from fetal respiration to a breathing atmosphere oxygen when they're born. And and uh it's driven by oxygen, it's driven by the breath. You know, it life starts with that first scream where you're taking in air and um you're off and running. Yeah, I think that's the uh elephant in the room it's not talked about because of our allopathic disease management healthcare system that we're we're seeing the problem once it's a big problem, you're stopping your breathing, you're snoring like uh a train, and it's like that condition just started. No, off the topic starts very early in the first one or two years of life, but it's it's kind of missed. So it's a breathing problem first, almost invariably, that ends up causing damage to many structures that end up um stimulating a uh a disease of uh sleep disorders. Um now it's not to say that you can't have parasites and other neurologic conditions, but by and large, there it's it's a um a problem having to do with breathing. Look, we didn't have these problems um a hundred years ago, 50 years ago. You weren't really thinking, you weren't really hearing that unless you had some morbidly obese, you know, male, what we call the Pikwican, which were really the outlockers. They were, you know, maybe they had some um some genetic conditions, a metabolic problem that was relatively rare. I mean, our population um has really gotten sick and it's accelerated in the last 50 years, no question about it. But it's yeah, uh we we say it's really should be breathing disorder sleep, not sleep disorder breathing. Um, but they're intertwined. So what we say it's a spiral. There are many factors that come in, and as a provider, you have to look at all those risk factors and kind of tease away, you know, what are the issues. If you can't breathe through your nose properly, it's it's congested, you're not gonna sleep very well. And if that's happening all the time, you're

Chicken Or Egg: Breathing And Sleep

SPEAKER_02 12:45

gonna be forced into mouth breathing, which increases the risk for, you know, uh snoring and things like that. So to answer your question, there's very good evidence that it's it it it really has to do with the breath from the very, very beginning, being very efficient. And that's largely stimulated by the facial skeleton, how our face grows, how big the airway is, you know, how we're able to breathe through the nose, that's that structure, and then the function of that facial skeleton, how the muscles around it uh function to maintain an open patent airway. And then the behavior, the behavior of how we breathe. It's the three things as far as size as far as breathing. There are three also three things is the size, the airway, the function of the airway, ingestion, or the condition of the airway.

SPEAKER_00 13:41

Okay, well, thank you so much, Doctor. We're about out of time, but this conversation really sheds light on an issue so many people struggle with, and we really appreciate your insight.

SPEAKER_02 13:52

Yeah, absolutely. It's complicated, and I I know it might maybe even confuse some people. And well, but that's why we talk about in the different podcasts with the short form, a lot of different aspects that you can kind of call together and see that makes sense. But I hope it didn't confuse anybody, and thanks for the opportunity, Angela.

SPEAKER_00 14:11

Oh, yeah, thank you, Doctor. We always love learning from you, and I look forward to the next episode.

SPEAKER_02 14:15

Sounds great. Me too.

unknown 14:17

Bye-bye.

SPEAKER_01 14:21

That's today's breath of fresh insight from airway focused dentistry with Dr. Mark A. Cruz. Remember, small changes in your airway can spark big changes in your life. Breathe, sleep, and be well. For more information, visit markacruzdf.com or call 949-661-1006. If this helped you, share the episode and maybe give your pillow a quieter night. See you next time.