People often have sleep apnea without knowing it, as this disorder can seriously affect your quality of life. It happens when your airways become blocked or pinched during sleep and you stop breathing over and over again. Knowing the usual indicators of sleep apnea can help you know when to seek professional guidance and needed care. We will look at ten typical signs in this article that could suggest you or a relative has sleep apnea.
Loud Snoring
Sleep apnea is often first noticed because of very loud snoring. Occasional snoring isn’t a problem, but when loud snoring happens every night and sounds like choking, gasping or snorting, it should be a warning. If the airway is partly blocked, the tissues nearby will vibrate, making snoring happen. Should your or your partner’s snoring wake one of you regularly, it’s wise to check it out.
Waking Up Gasping at Night
Often, people with sleep apnea will feel caught in their breath or choked during the night. It is caused by your body’s attempt to allow breath in after the airway is blocked which briefly causes you to miss oxygen. They often make it hard to sleep and keep you from feeling rested when you wake up.
Morning Headaches
Morning headaches that won’t go away may point to sleep apnea. During any interruption to your breathing during sleep, not enough oxygen and too much carbon dioxide can build up in your blood. Such fluctuation is can result in headaches first thing in the morning. Ongoing morning headaches might be because of sleep apnea.
Experience of Sleepiness and tiredness at any time of the day
A lot of sleep apnea cases result in feeling really tired even after you’ve slept for seven or eight hours. Many nighttime awakenings stop you from getting enough deep sleep, resulting in exhaustion. If you catch yourself falling asleep at work, on the couch or at the wheel, you could have sleep apnea.
Difficulty Concentrating
Having sleep apnea can negatively affect thoughts, to the point where it feels tough to focus or pay attention. If someone experiences poor sleep, their brain often doesn’t function properly which can affect their memory, judgments and attention span. If you find that usual activities have grown difficult for you, take a moment to check for signs of sleep apnea.
Mood Changes
A person with sleep apnea can easily feel upset or grumpy. Lack of sleep caused by sleep apnea can upset the brain’s chemical processes and cause depressive and anxious feelings. If your mood or temper seems to change quite suddenly and there isn’t a clear reason, having poor sleep quality may be the culprit.
A condition called high blood pressure
Having sleep apnea can make a person more likely to develop high blood pressure, called hypertension. Having many sudden low breaths during sleep apnea may cause the patient’s blood pressure to rise regularly which leads to lasting hypertension. If you learn you have high blood pressure, mention sleep apnea to your healthcare provider.
Waking up and finding that you have a dried up mouth or pain in your throat
A dry mouth or sore throat in the morning might mean you have sleep apnea. The irritation in your throat and mouth occurs when dry nighttime air is taken in during gasping. In addition, breathing through the mouth can lead to dryness and make the throat uncomfortable.
Poor sleep quality and lots of restlessness
Those with sleep apnea often have a hard time staying asleep all night. People in this stage might move a lot at night, wake up early and spend hours in bed, but they still do not feel rested. Breathing problems, along with the process to keep oxygen balanced, cause the body to react with restlessness.
Sexual Dysfunction
One possible symptom of sleep apnea in both men and women is difficulty with sexual function. Due to fatigue and hormone changes in sleep apnea, people might find their sex drive decreases and their sexual performance suffers. A drop in your sexual interest or performance could be due to sleep apnea, so it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor about it.
Noticing the Symptoms and Doing Something About Them
Noticing these signs is the first thing you should do if you think you have sleep apnea. If you or a family member shows a lot of these signs, please talk to a doctor. Your doctor may perform a physical check-up, look through your medical records and recommend a sleep study to definitely diagnose sleep apnea.
Conclusion
Sleep apnea can be serious, but it is possible to treat it. Noticing loud snoring, gasping during sleep, headaches upon waking and daytime tiredness can motivate you to seek proper treatment. If you feel that you might have sleep apnea, talk to your healthcare provider right away. Handling sleep apnea can help you achieve greater quality of life, more energy and better health. Make sure to rest well and get medical advice for a better, healthier life going forward.
Take charge of your sleep health today
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