Main Symptoms of Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a condition in which breathing is interrupted during sleep. Interrupted breathing can happen over and over and can occur dozens of times in a single night. Over 22 million people in the United States have sleep apnea. It affects people of all ages and is more common in men than women. This condition may be life-threatening, as it robs the brain of oxygen that it needs in order to function properly.

While sleep apnea is a sleep disorder, it is also a medical condition that may require treatment by a medical professional.

Some symptoms of sleep apnea include:

Difficulty Concentrating

Sleep apnea causes you to wake up frequently throughout the night. As a result, this makes it hard for you to concentrate throughout the day. You may feel tired and groggy during work or school hours. The fatigue from sleep apnea can make it hard to get through an entire shift without falling asleep.

Excessive Sleepiness

If you experience excessive sleepiness during the day, you may be suffering from sleep apnea. A patient suffering from sleep apnea will have a hard time staying awake during the day. This excessive sleepiness can interfere with your personal and professional life.

Excessive sleepiness can happen at any time. You may feel tired as soon as you wake up and have to take a nap during the day or feel exhausted at night. Feeling sleepy at both points in your day can interfere with your productivity and lead to health problems.

Loud Snoring

Sleep apnea is caused by a blockage of the airway during sleep. This can cause loud snoring. If the blockage of the airway is severe enough, it can even cause a person to stop breathing and lead to a dangerous situation.

Loud snoring is often the first symptom of sleep apnea, but there are several other signs and symptoms. 

Morning Headaches

A sleep apnea patient may wake up with a severe headache upon waking. This is because when a patient is asleep, their airway collapses, causing blood pressure to increase. The increased pressure can cause headaches.

Episodes of Choking or Gasping During Sleep

Sleep apnea causes the patient to stop breathing for up to a minute during sleep. During these episodes, the body’s oxygen intake is reduced. Patients with sleep apnea may wake up during the night with a feeling of choking or gasping for air.

Dry Mouth

When sleep apnea occurs, it interferes with the body’s ability to breathe properly at night. The body tries to compensate for this by breathing through the mouth. As air passes through the mouth, it can dry out the mouth. This can leave the mouth feeling dry and uncomfortable. 

Insomnia

Sleep apnea is a disorder that causes people to stop breathing hundreds of times each night. One of the symptoms of sleep apnea is insomnia.

People with sleep apnea wake up hundreds of times throughout the night. Sleep interruptions caused by sleep apnea can cause a person to wake up feeling tired, even when they got a full night’s sleep. This tiredness makes it difficult to fall asleep again, which causes insomnia.

Moodiness

Sleep apnea can affect your mental health, resulting in mood swings. This condition interrupts your sleep, depriving your brain of oxygen. When your brain is deprived of oxygen, it results in you being irritable, moody, and nervous.

To learn more about sleep apnea, contact El Paseo Dental Clinic at (408) 370-0101 or (510) 750-1654. You can also visit our dental offices located in San Jose and Hayward in California for your dental concerns.