About 9 months ago I went through the exact same thing. I was experiencing the inability to learn new things, the inability to remember very basic words (so I would stall in the middle of a conversation, trying to remember the word), and sometimes I was confused over things that were extremely basic, like which toothbrush was mine. It was extremely debilitating, and being a programmer it affected my performance drastically. I couldn't fix bugs quickly, and when given new tasks, it would take me much much longer to actually understand WTF I was supposed to do. I then started getting a tremendous headache that felt like a vise grip on the back of my neck, and at that point, I couldn't even remember what I had done earlier that day. Trying to learn new things was almost impossible, it was like my brain was unable to function at all.
After a couple of months of this, I finally went to the doctor, and immediately got an MRI for possible brain tumor. Thankfully it turned out negative, and that's when I did some self-diagnosis and thought I must be sleep-deprived. I was getting about 4-6 hrs sleep every night for years, so I immediately started getting into bed at 10pm and would lay there until I eventually fell asleep.
Within a week, my headache disappeared and I felt much better. The funny thing is that since then, I can't stay away past 10:30pm, regardless of how long I sleep. By 9:30pm I'm exhausted, and after staying up past midnight for years/decades, a few months after sleeping at 10:30pm, I have almost no capacity to stay up late anymore.
I still think I have other sleep problems like obstructive sleep apnea, because I still don't get good quality sleep, so I'm scheduled for a sleep clinic in the next few weeks. I went to a seminar hosted by Kaiser on this, and the symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea were so exactly the same as what I was experiencing that I almost burst into tears because I realized I wasn't crazy, and it felt like there was finally some hope.
Welcome to being old! :) while you can no longer stay up all night, the company here is nice and every morning can become a little cause for celebration if you slept well. I'll fix you a cup of decaf tee. :)
On a more serious note, if tests show apnea be sure to inquire about all remedies. I spent months in a love/hate relationship with CPAP before I discovered a more expensive but much more convenient dental appliance. So grill them till you hear all options.
Can you please name this dental appliance? There is also a relatively minor surgery where silicon is embedded to prevent airway collapse (a common cause of sleep apnea).
I never have trouble sleeping when I sleep. But I, like many people in this industry, don't let myself. I'll push myself to work till I'm sleeping at 2, 4, 8am... the ultimate consequences are pretty similar symptoms to those you describe, albeit self-inflicted.
And the problem is that after a while it reaches the point where I don't feel "tired" during the day, but I know I'm not performing my best. Recently I'm finding my tolerance of sleeplessness much lower, and like the sibling poster I put it down to increasing age (though I'm still in my early twenties).
I know the existence of 'burnout' (and all the baggage that term comes with) is debated by some, but the physical effects of not having enough rest are all too real. I know you know this already, but - sleep, people. You'll thank yourself for it.
After a couple of months of this, I finally went to the doctor, and immediately got an MRI for possible brain tumor. Thankfully it turned out negative, and that's when I did some self-diagnosis and thought I must be sleep-deprived. I was getting about 4-6 hrs sleep every night for years, so I immediately started getting into bed at 10pm and would lay there until I eventually fell asleep.
Within a week, my headache disappeared and I felt much better. The funny thing is that since then, I can't stay away past 10:30pm, regardless of how long I sleep. By 9:30pm I'm exhausted, and after staying up past midnight for years/decades, a few months after sleeping at 10:30pm, I have almost no capacity to stay up late anymore.
I still think I have other sleep problems like obstructive sleep apnea, because I still don't get good quality sleep, so I'm scheduled for a sleep clinic in the next few weeks. I went to a seminar hosted by Kaiser on this, and the symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea were so exactly the same as what I was experiencing that I almost burst into tears because I realized I wasn't crazy, and it felt like there was finally some hope.
In summary: get your sleep, it is precious!