Sleep Apnea Symptoms May Often Be Hard To Recognize

Sleep apnea is an extremely commonly seen sleep disorder that affects more than twelve million US citizens and today is as common as adult diabetes.

The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea which, as its name indicates, arises from an obstruction to the airways that interferes with breathing. In addition, there is a second type of sleep apnea called central sleep apnea, in which the brain fails to adequately control your breathing during sleep. Some people suffer from mixed sleep apnea, which is a combination of obstructive and central forms of the condition.

The symptoms of sleep apnea may appear at any time and, although they are most often seen in overweight men over forty, they may be seen in men and women of all ages and are increasingly being seen now in children.

The most obvious symptom of sleep apnea is snoring which is unfortunately a difficult symptom to spot yourself and generally has got to be pointed out by a sleeping partner. Snoring has a variety of causes and snoring is not by itself a sign that you have sleep apnea. It is the case nevertheless that the majority of do snore.

The second most obvious symptom is excessive daytime tiredness. Sleep apnea causes you to stop breathing many times during sleep and the body's natural reaction to this is to arouse you just enough for you to begin breathing again, but not enough for you to be aware that you are being awakened. The result is that your sleep is continually interrupted and extremely light and you do not enjoy the deep sleep that the body needs in order to recharge its batteries. Consequently, over time, you find yourself becoming increasingly tired and sleepy during the day.

Left untreated, the affects of sleep apnea will begin to become more and more evident and further symptoms will begin to appear. These could include headaches (especially first thing in the morning), touchiness and sometimes depression. You could also notice yourself beginning to put on weight.

One of the not quite so obvious symptoms of sleep apnea is an increase in blood pressure which can lead to a number of cardiovascular difficulties. This will be picked up if you are one of the growing number of people who now monitor their blood pressure at home but may not otherwise be picked up until you undergo a routine physical exam at your physician's office.

Yet another symptom is that of learning difficulties and problems with memory. Once again this is not something that is easy to see yourself but others might well notice that you are no longer as fast on the uptake as you used to be.

Finally, some sleep apnea sufferers will experience a drop in their sexual function and this may ultimately lead to impotency.

As is the case with with many medical conditions individual symptoms could well be a sign of almost anything. But, when you begin to notice these symptoms alongside each onther then you should think about talking to your physician and possibly think about being tested for sleep apnea.

One word of warning. Testing for sleep apnea will normally mean referral to a sleep specialist, preferably a specialist certified by the American Board of Sleep Medicine (ABSM), and could mean undergoing overnight sleep testing either in a sleep laboratory or at home. This testing will often cost more than $1,000 and you may need to check with your insurance company before you commit yourself to any program of sleep apnea evaluation.