Sleep Apnea Symptoms Are Not Always Easy To Spot

Sleep apnea symptoms are most frequently seen in men overweight men above the age of forty although they can appear at any age in both women and men and are now being seen more and more in children.

The clearest symptom of sleep apnea (which is only one of many commonly seen sleep disorders) is snoring which is difficult to spot by yourself and generally needs to be brought to your attention by a sleeping partner. There are many reasons for snoring and the fact that you snore is not in itself an indication that you have sleep apnea. However, the majority of sleep apnea sufferers snore.

The second most obvious symptom of sleep apnea is undue tiredness during the day. People who suffer from sleep apnea stop breathing frequently during sleep and the body’s natural reaction is to wake you sufficiently for you to begin breathing again, but not sufficiently for you to be conscious of the fact that you are being aroused. This of course means that your sleep is continually interrupted and thus very light so that you are not enjoying the deep sleep which your body needs. As a consequence you grow increasingly tired during the day.

Left untreated the effects of sleep apnea begin to emerge and you will start to experience additional symptoms that could include headaches (particularly first thing in the morning), touchiness and depression. You may also notice that you are starting to gain weight.

Yet another not quite so obvious indication of sleep apnea is an increase in blood pressure that can lead to a number of cardiovascular problems. If you are one of the increasing number of people who are now monitoring their blood pressure regularly at home then you should detect this fairly easily but, otherwise, it will not be found unless you attend the doctor’s office to have a routine physical examination.

One other symptom is that of learning difficulties and increasing problems with memory retention. This is once again not something that is easy for you to notice yourself but others around you may well notice that you are not as fast on the uptake as you once were.

Lastly, some sleep apnea sufferers will notice a decline in sexual function which can eventually lead to impotency.

Each of these symptoms by themselves can of course be indicative of just about any problem you can think of. When you begin to notice these symptoms appearing alongside one another however there is a good chance that you are suffering from sleep apnea and you ought to talk to your physician and think about taking a test for sleep apnea.