What Are 4 Symptoms of Sleep Apnea? Key Indicators You Shouldn’t Ignore

Are you suffering from frequent restless nights? Are you experiencing tired days? It might be something more than just a sleep issue. Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder that considerably impacts your health and life.

The signs and symptoms of sleep apnea can help you to detect it in the early stages. Knowing what to look for can also help you share information with a doctor or sleep specialist to initiate treatment. Here are four key symptoms of sleep apnea that may prompt you to seek help, as this is a sleep disorder that should never be ignored.

Loud Snoring

Loud snoring is a primary symptom of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Typically, snoring is caused by air squeezing through the narrowed or blocked airway, although not everyone who snores has sleep apnea. If you have obstructive sleep apnea, you are likely to begin snoring heavily soon after falling asleep. The snoring often becomes very loud - enough to be heard through walls - and may be interrupted by a long silent period where your breathing stops. If your snoring is a symptom of sleep apnea, it is likely to be accompanied by symptoms below.

Breathing Interruptions

Loud snoring is also often accompanied by gasping and choking sounds in incidences of sleep apnea. These are caused by pauses in breathing as a result of narrowed and obstructed airways, and can occur up to hundreds of times a night in severe cases.

These interruptions in breathing along with sudden body movements affect overall sleep quality, restricting the body from experiencing deep sleep resulting in a lack of rest and recovery.

Excessive Daytime Sleepiness

Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS) is another notable symptom of obstructive sleep apnea. Those experiencing EDS experience fatigue, tiredness, and laziness that may interfere with regular daytime work and productivity. 

Specific symptoms may include brain fog, excessive tiredness, and feeling as if no amount of sleep is enough. This can result in frequent napping and reduced energy and alertness levels, leading to reduced physical activities and productivity.

Morning Headaches

Morning headaches, also known as hypoxic headaches are another commonly reported symptom in those with sleep apnea. 

The partial or full blockage of airways that can occur in sleep apnea results in low oxygen levels in the bloodstream. This causes blood vessels to expand, leading to a rise in carbon dioxide levels. Pressure inside the skull then causes pressing pain or headaches on both sides of the head when you rise in the morning.

The occurrence and intensity of these morning headaches is often directly related to the severity of sleep apnea.

Other symptoms like restless sleep, dry mouth, high stress levels, high blood pressure, and increased irritability are also frequently observed alongside the above four symptoms of sleep apnea to diagnose sleep apnea. If you or your partner observes the above symptoms, consider consulting with your doctor to check for an obstructive sleep apnea diagnosis. Thereafter, you may be recommended to begin CPAP therapy, which can considerably help to improve sleep quality, reduce health risks, and enhance your well-being.