Do you often find yourself feeling exhausted and snoring loudly in your sleep? The snoring can be very embarrassing while feeling exhausted can hinder your productivity and can be very frustrating. However, these issues can also be a sign of sleep apnea, which can be a serious problem.

Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder and the person who has sleep apnea experiences repeated pauses in breathing while sleeping. These pauses in breathing can last from a few seconds to full minutes and they can occur a number of times while a person is sleeping. It’s often the case that a person isn’t aware that he experiences breathing breaks.

There are three kinds of sleep apnea, including obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea, and complex sleep apnea syndrome. The most common kind of this sleep disorder is obstructive sleep apnea which triggers breathing to stop and start over and over again during sleep and it’s usually accompanied with loud snoring. On the other hand, central sleep apnea occurs when the brain doesn't send the right signals to the muscles that control breathing, while the complex sleep apnea syndrome is actually a combo of obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea.

People who have sleep apnea are likely to experience a number of signs and symptoms, including:

• Snoring, usually very loud and can potentially be a serious medical issue;
• Daytime sleepiness and feeling exhausted during the whole day;
• Waking up abruptly gasping for air;
• Breathing cessation during sleep, which is the most typical sign;
• Waking up with a headache;
• Mood swings accompanied by irritability and depression;
• Having trouble concentrating during the day;
• Hypertension;
• Waking up with dry mouth and/or sore throat
• Experiencing chest pain at night;

The causes of obstructive and central sleep apnea can vary and the airway blockages can last for 10 to 20 seconds and might occur five to 30 times an hour. On the other hand, in people with central sleep apnea, the brain doesn’t tell the breathing muscles what they need to work. The ability of the brain to send messages properly can be impaired due to various things.

Central sleep apnea can trigger a number of other health issues, including a stroke or congestive heart failure. Last but not least, exposure to high altitudes and drugs, such as opioids, can also trigger irregular breathing.

So, it’s very important to undergo sleep testing, such as home sleep testing, to check whether or not your exhaustion is caused by sleep apnea. Hence, wait no more and consult your physician or a sleep specialist and get yourself tested.