Symptoms Sleep Apnea

Symptoms sleep apnea reveals can be surprisingly simple, and at the same time surprisingly life threatening.  Sleep apnea is a potentially dangerous sleep disorder which, though very common in the American population goes largely undiagnosed.  Why?  The symptoms sleep apnea displays rank among the most common.  Included in the symptoms sleep apnea presents are: loud snoring with snorting, dry mouth or sore throat upon waking, abrupt awakenings with shortness of breath, morning headache, drowsiness and fatigue.  Many of these symptoms are experienced by the general population on a daily basis. 

The difference between everyday fatigue and the symptoms sleep apnea sufferers exhibit is frequency and intensity.  The individual wakes day after day after day with a headache, inexplicable drowsiness, and fatigue, even after spending several hours in bed.  The individual may just eventually accept that rest is unattainable, dismiss the symptoms as unimportant and go on with his/her life.  If it were only fatigue, drowsiness, headache and dry mouth from a cold, or allergies, or overindulgence, the symptoms sleep apnea sufferers experience could be ignored.

The underlying cause, however can not and should not be ignored.  Sleep apnea (apnea from the Greek for “without breath”) is a disorder where the individual frequently stops breathing while sleeping, for up to a minute at a time, as many as a hundred times a night.  The loud snoring with snorting is one of the symptoms sleep apnea exhibits in the obstructive form.  The throat muscles relax during sleep, the person inhales, the trachea or windpipe collapses and physically obstructs the airway.  The snort is the result of the brain signaling the body to arouse, to tighten the muscles and to resume breathing.

The dry mouth and sore throat are the aftereffects of abrupt awakening and gasping for breath.  These symptoms sleep apnea patients experience are of the central variety.  Instead of physical obstruction, the brain sends improper signals to the breathing muscles, creating shortness of breath.  A third type, mixed sleep apnea, exhibits both types of sleep apnea symptoms and therefore is harder to definitively diagnose.

Clearly, the effects of breath cessation during the night can not be ignored or dismissed.  Severe complications can result from the lack of oxygen to the brain.  Symptoms sleep apnea cases endure can cause hypertension, cardiovascular disease, memory lapses, impotency and weight gain.  Older adults, especially those over forty make up the greatest percentage of cases, with men outnumbering women by more than 2 to 1.  Obesity is cited as a possible contributing factor, because of the extra weight pressing down on the neck muscles when reclining.  Other factors may exacerbate the disorder, such as drinking alcoholic beverages, taking sleep-inducing pills, etc.  The symptoms sleep apnea presents, however can occur in any age, even in children. 

Fortunately, the symptoms sleep apnea exhibits are both diagnosable and treatable.  Several treatments exist, from wearing a device in the mouth while sleeping, to undergoing surgery to remove pieces of tissue.  Research for better and additional options for treatments is ongoing.

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