Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder characterized by frequent breathing interruptions during sleep. The disorder has two main types: obstructed sleep apnea and central sleep apnea.
Obstructed sleep apnea (OSA) is caused by blocked airways which could be due to excess tissue in the back of the throat, large tonsils, congested sinuses, etc. Central sleep apnea, on the other hand, is caused by a problem in signaling, i.e. the brain fails to send the right message to the muscles responsible for breathing.
Unfortunately, undiagnosed and untreated sleep apnea could lead to other serious conditions such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Therefore, identifying sleep apnea at an early stage is key. So, we’ve come up with the following list of nine signs you might have sleep apnea, to help you learn whether or not you should seek medical help.
- 1. Extreme Daytime Sleepiness
Feeling tired throughout the day despite getting enough hours of sleep, might be a sign of sleep apnea. Namely, people with sleep apnea wake up many times, sometimes not even remembering about it, as a result of them stopping breathing. That’s why they feel sleepy the next day.
- 2. Morning Headaches
If you wake up with headaches, it could also point to sleep apnea. In brief, apnea causes certain blood flow difficulties which then result in oxygen level changes in the brain, i.e. reduced oxygen levels that cause morning headaches.
- 3. Gasping or Choking while Asleep
Another typical sign of sleep apnea is waking up with a gasping or choking sound. Luckily, this isn’t a dangerous symptom. It is just really disruptive for both the person with sleep apnea and their partners or whomever they share a room with.
- 4. Disrupting Partner’s Sleep
You may be unaware of your snoring, choking, or gasping, but if your partner says you do snore, choke, or gasp when you sleep, it’s usually true and you should get checked for sleep apnea. The condition not only affects your sleep but theirs too.
- 5. High Blood Pressure
If you have high blood pressure and have been trying to treat your hypertension with no success, the chances you have sleep apnea are pretty high. Namely, these nighttime breathing interruptions put a lot of stress on your body and heart, resulting in high blood pressure.
- 6. Heart Palpitations
Not only can sleep apnea increase your blood pressure, but it could also cause heart palpitations, i.e. a fluttering or pounding sensation in the chest for no apparent reason. This sign occurs as a result of oxygen level changes and can lead to atrial fibrillation and other conditions.
- 7. High Blood Sugar
Similar to blood pressure, having high blood sugar levels may also indicate sleep apnea. According to research, sleep deprivation, which goes hand in hand with sleep apnea, can affect the body’s ability to process glucose and lead to insulin resistance.
- 8. Insomnia
Insomnia is yet another sleep disorder characterized by the inability to fall and stay asleep that often accompanies sleep apnea. Even though it’s not clear which causes which, both these disorders should be treated.
- 9. Mood Swings
Last but not least, if your mood is all over the place, you might have sleep apnea. Briefly put, it’s normal to be irritable and moody, even depressed when feeling exhausted, especially if your tiredness lasts for days or weeks.