Sleep Apnea Symptoms
Snoring is often treated as a comical problem by many people but few people realize that it could be a symptom of something worse. If a snoring problem gets worse, it can turn into sleep apnea which can cause many other health problems. If you snore, it's important that you find out if it's a symptom of something more serious.
If your snoring is bad enough to wake you or your partner in the night, there is an even greater chance of apnea. One of the biggest warning signal of sleep apnea is waking up in the night, choking and gasping for air. Apnea occurs when the airway is partially or completely blocked while sleeping, to the point where you actually stop breathing for 10 seconds or more.
Apnea suffers can wake up multiple times throughout the night, disturbing their sleep and leading to drowsiness and irritability during the day. In the most serious cases of sleep apnea, people can wake up as many as 100 times over the course of a night.
People with sleep apnea also often wake up with a headache, caused by a shortage of oxygen. Rapid weight gain, depression, personality changes, memory loss and short attention spans are other common symptoms to look for.
If these symptoms sound familiar it's possible that you're suffering from sleep apnea. One simple test you can perform yourself is to record your breathing patterns while you sleep with a tape or digital recorder. If you find you stop breathing regularly it could be a sign of apnea.
Your doctor is the best person to discuss this with and if they think you may be dealing with sleep apnea, they will likely send you for a polysomnography test. This is an overnight test where your sleep is monitored. The test is harmless and often it's covered by medical insurance.
Another way to track signs of sleep apnea is to keep a sleep diary. They are kept by your sleeping partner. If they wake up in the night, they take note of how you're sleeping. Things such as whether you're snoring, how loud it is, whether you're sleeping or not and if you're breathing is labored.