The Symptoms Of Sleep Apnea May Often Be Difficult To Spot
February 19, 2008 by admin
Filed under Health and Fitness
Sleep apnea is a very common sleep disorder that affects in excess of twelve million US citizens and today is as common as adult diabetes.
The most commonly seen form of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea which, as its name indicates, results from an obstruction to your airways that interferes with breathing. Additionally, there is another form of sleep apnea referred to as central sleep apnea, in which your brain cannot control your breathing adequately during sleep. A significant number of people also 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 commonly found in overweight men over 40, they may be found in both men and women of all ages and are being seen all too often now in children.
The most noticeable symptom of sleep apnea is snoring which is of course a hard symptom to spot yourself and usually needs to be pointed out by your sleeping partner. There can be many causes for snoring and the presence of snoring is not by itself an indication that you are suffering from sleep apnea. It is true nevertheless that most people with sleep apnea will snore.
The second most noticeable sleep apnea symptom is excessive daytime tiredness. With sleep apnea you sleep apnea you stop breathing regularly during sleep and your body’s natural reaction to this is to wake you just sufficiently for you to begin breathing again, but not enough for you to be aware of the fact that you are being awakened. The result is that your sleep is continually interrupted and very light and you do not get the deep sleep which your body needs to recharge its batteries. As a consequence, over time, you find yourself becoming increasingly tired during the day.
Without treatment, the affects of sleep apnea will start to become increasingly evident and additional symptoms will begin to appear. These might include headaches (particularly first thing in the morning), touchiness and possibly depression. You might also notice yourself starting to put on weight.
A not quite so obvious symptoms of sleep apnea is an increase in blood pressure which can result in various cardiovascular problems. This will be seen if you are among the growing number of people who now monitor their blood pressure at home but will not otherwise be spotted until you have a routine physical exam with your physician.
Another increasingly seen symptom is that of learning difficulties and problems with memory. Again this is not something that is rasy to detect yourself but family and friends could well notice that you are no longer as quick on the uptake as you once were.
Some people with sleep apnea will notice a decline in sexual function and this could lead to impotency.
As with many conditions individual symptoms could be a sign of practically anything. But, if you begin to notice these symptoms alongside each onther then you should consider consulting your doctor and possibly think about being tested for sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is only one of several sleep disorders which can or cannot be connected including insomnia, jet lag, restless leg syndrome and narcolepsy.
