The Symptoms Of Sleep Apnea Can Often Be Difficult To Spot

Sleep apnea is a very common sleep disorder that affects in excess of twelve million Americans and is now as common as adult diabetes.

The most common form of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea which, as the name implies, results from an obstruction to your airways that produces problems with breathing. There is also another form of sleep apnea referred to as central sleep apnea, in which your brain fails to control breathing adequately during sleep. Some people suffer from mixed sleep apnea, which is a mixture of both obstructive sleep apnea and central forms of this sleep disorder.

Sleep apnea symptoms may arise at any time and, while they are most frequently found in overweight men over forty, they may be seen in both men and women of all ages and are being seen increasingly nowadays in children.

The most obvious symptom of sleep apnea is snoring which is of course a difficult symptom to spot yourself and generally has to be pointed out by your sleeping partner. Snoring has a variety of causes and the presence of snoring is not by itself an indication that you have sleep apnea. It is a fact nevertheless that most sufferers do snore.

The second most obvious symptom of sleep apnea is excessive tiredness during the day. With sleep apnea you stop breathing many times during sleep and your body's natural reaction to this is to wake you just enough to start you breathing again, but not sufficiently for you to be aware that you are being awakened. The result is that your sleep is very light and continually interrupted and you cannot get the deep sleep that your body needs to recharge its batteries. As a result, over time, you find that you are becoming increasingly tired and sleepy during the day.

If sleep apnea is left untreated its affects will start to become more and more evident and a range of additional symptoms will begin to appear. These may include headaches (especially early in the morning), irritability and sometimes depression. You could also notice that you are starting to gain weight.

A not quite so obvious symptom of sleep apnea is a rise in blood pressure which can result in various cardiovascular problems. This will be picked up if you are among the growing number of individuals who now monitor their blood pressure regularly at home but will not otherwise be spotted until you undergo a routine physical exam with your physician.

Another increasingly seen symptom is that of learning difficulties and problems with memory. Once more this is not something that is easy to spot yourself but other people could well notice that you are no longer as fast on the uptake as you once were.

Some people with sleep apnea will notice a fall in sexual function and this can ultimately result in impotency.

As with many medical conditions individual symptoms by themselves could well be a sign of practically anything. However, when you begin to notice these symptoms alongside each onther then you should think about consulting your physician and think about being tested for sleep apnea.

One word of caution though. Testing for sleep apnea will normally mean referral to a sleep specialist, preferably one certified by the American Board of Sleep Medicine (ABSM), and could mean being subjected to overnight sleep testing either in a sleep laboratory or at home. This testing will often cost in excess of $1,000 and you should check with your insurer before committing yourself to any program of sleep apnea evaluation.

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Help-Me-To-Sleep.com offers information and advice on a range of different sleep disorders including sleep apnea and looks at sleep apnea treatment amongst other things. We also look in detail at finding a natural insomnia remedy

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