Symptoms of Sleep Apnea

How do you know if you have sleep apnea?  It is difficult for someone to determine if they are suffering from apnea since they are sleeping at the time.  Sleep apnea is a very common sleeping disorder affecting more than twelve million people.

There are three types of sleep apnea you may have.  Obstructive Sleep Apnea is regarded as the worst type of apnea because it has the potential to kill you. This is where your airway becomes obstructed causing you to stop breathing in your sleep. Central Sleep Apnea is not as common and is usually due to neurological disorders.  People who suffer from central sleep apnea are basically not receiving signals from their brain reminding them to breath.  Then there is Mixed Sleep Apnea with is a combination of obstructive and central apnea.

One of the main symptoms of sleep apnea would be loud snoring.  This is caused by the blockage of your airways.  Another symptom of sleep apnea is constant fatigue and poor sleep.  People who suffer from sleep apnea do not get proper REM sleep or deep sleep.  The sleep apnea causes people to periodically wake up throughout the night preventing them from entering into the deep stages of sleep.  This leads to a poor night of sleep and not feeling rested in the morning.

Since sleep apnea occurs when you are not awake, it makes it very difficult to diagnose.  The best thing to do if you think you may suffer from apnea is talk with a doctor.  There are many sleep clinics that will be able to diagnose the severity of your apnea and help treat it.

Bookmark and Share

Related posts:

  1. 5 Common Questions (And Their Answers) About Sleep Apnea
  2. Sleep Apnea: It Can Take Your Breath Away (but Not In A Good Way)
  3. Q&A: Why does sleep deprivation make the symptoms of sleep apnea worse?
  4. Ease Your Snoring and Sleep Apnea
  5. What is Sleep Apnea