7 Signs You Might Have Sleep Apnea

 Florida Ear Nose Throat

Facial Plastic Surgery Center

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Are you tired throughout the day, unable to pay attention to your family or friends? Do you experience mood swings or irritability? Can your spouse no longer sleep next to you due to your loud snoring and gasping? You may have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Sleep apnea is the most common sleep disorder, affecting approximately 18 million adults in the U.S. with 80 percent going undiagnosed. If you are unsure if you are affected with sleep apnea, keep these symptoms listed below in mind.

1. Loud, Persistent Snoring
Although snoring doesn’t always mean you have sleep apnea; loud, chronic snoring is one of the most frequently cited symptoms. Snoring is caused by partial blockage, restricting your airways. If your snoring is loud, disruptive, and occurs nightly, visit your primary care physician to discuss if you may have sleep apnea.

2. Gasping While Sleeping
Again, the cause of gasping in your sleep is due to the obstruction of your airway. The fatty tissues of the throat and tongue become relaxed and fall back into your airways, restricting airflow for a few seconds. The low oxygen levels due to the restriction causes your brain to wake itself long enough to get past the air blockage causing you to gasp while you're breathing. This can occur 5 to 30 times in an hour lasting up to 10-20 seconds at a time.

3. Tired all the Time
While you may think you got plenty of sleep because you were in bed for 7-9 hours, all of the pauses and interruptions your body made in order for you to breath properly adds up. One of the most overlooked symptoms of sleep apnea is EDS (Excessive Daytime Sleepiness). If you have difficulty waking in the mornings, feeling excessively tired throughout the day, a general lack of energy, or difficulty concentrating among others, you may be affected by EDS and sleep apnea.

4. Wake with Headaches
While uncomfortable no matter what time of the day, if you get morning headaches it could be a sign of something more serious - sleep apnea. Low oxygen levels causes headaches and when you stop breathing during the night, less oxygen is making its way to your brain. This symptom, along with excessive daytime drowsiness are the two symptoms sufferers complain about the most.

5. High Blood Pressure
The same reason you experience headaches is how you can get high blood pressure. When your body wakes from your sleep due to low oxygen levels, it causes a spike in your blood pressure which restricts your blood vessels to kick start your system into working again. When this repeatedly happens throughout the night, your body gets used to restricting its blood vessels and begins to during the day, even when you are breathing normally.

6. Obesity
People who are overweight or obese are most likely linked to sleep apnea. Excess of fatty tissues can fall back into the airways during sleep causing obstructions to the airway. You are not alone in this fight, more than two-thirds of adults are overweight in America. Discuss options with your primary care physician to help you lose weight which in turn helps with your sleep apnea.

7. Irritable, Depressed, or Experience Mood Swings
Waking up hundreds of times during the night - even briefly - can have a serious affect on your mood and personality while you are awake. With lack of sleep you are prone to anxiety, depression, and mood swings among other things. Talk to your doctor to see if any of these symptoms are related to a sleep disorder.

To learn more about sleep apnea or the services we provide to help with this disorder, please call us today at give us a call at (877) EAR-NOSE.