What Are the Warning Signs of Sleep Apnea?
Apnea means “cessation of breathing.” Sleep apnea is a disorder in which an individual experiences brief and repeated interruptions of breathing while sleeping.
Obstructive sleep apnea is a common and potentially serious sleep disorder. The airway becomes repeatedly blocked by the relaxation of the tissues in the pharynx and the base of the tongue, limiting the amount of air that reaches the lungs.
When this happens, the patient may snore loudly or make choking noises while trying to breathe. Their brain and body are deprived of oxygen. This can happen several times a night, or in more severe cases, hundreds of times a night. In an attempt to re-establish the patency of the upper airway, numerous awakenings occur.
These awakenings are often brief, sometimes lasting only a few seconds, which is why the affected individual usually doesn’t realize they are experiencing them during sleep. This pattern repeats throughout the night, and a patient with severe sleep apnea may wake up hundreds of times a night.
Even though awakenings are usually very short, they fragment and disrupt the sleep cycle. This sleep fragmentation can cause significant levels of fatigue and daytime sleepiness, which are common symptoms of sleep apnea.
Symptoms
The signs and symptoms most associated with sleep apnea are snoring, apneas witnessed by a bed partner, and excessive daytime sleepiness. Breathing pauses can end in choking, a feeling of suffocation, vocalizations, or brief awakenings.
As a result, sleep fragmentation occurs, leading to daytime sleepiness and fatigue, subjective symptoms that are often not recognized by the patient. In these individuals, there is a substantial increase in the risk of car and work accidents due to excessive sleepiness, which can be measured using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale.
Sleep apnea can cause individuals to feel tired in the morning and have a sense of non-restorative sleep, even after a long and seemingly restful night’s sleep. During the day, it can also lead to difficulty concentrating or even uncontrollable sleep episodes, resulting from multiple awakenings, even unconscious ones, throughout the night.
Unlike the symptoms described above, insomnia is not considered a common symptom of sleep apnea, and when it does occur, it is more frequent in women with apnea.
The main symptoms of sleep apnea are:
- Loud or frequent snoring
- Breathing pauses witnessed during sleep
- Choking or gasping sounds and a feeling of suffocation during sleep.
- Daytime sleepiness or fatigue
- Fragmented sleep
- Morning headache
- Nocturia (waking up during the night to urinate)
- Difficulty concentrating
- Memory loss
- Decreased sex drive
- Irritability
Other warning signs include dry mouth upon waking and excessive salivation, likely due to mouth breathing, as well as restless sleep and night sweats due to increased respiratory effort.
Due to repeated apneas, intermittent hypoxia, and autonomic nervous system imbalance, patients have a higher risk of developing atherosclerosis, systemic arterial hypertension, coronary insufficiency, arrhythmias, and stroke.
Sleep apnea is more than a nighttime breathing problem—it can disrupt sleep, reduce daily functioning, and increase the risk of serious health complications. Recognizing the symptoms early is essential for protecting both sleep quality and overall health. Proper diagnosis and treatment can greatly improve quality of life and help prevent long-term consequences. If you are experiencing these symptoms, call us today to schedule an evaluation and take the first step toward better sleep and better health.
Related Article: Can Sleep Apnea be Cured?