Can You Recognize The Symptoms Of Sleep Apnea?

Millions of people suffer from one sleep disorder or another. But do you know how to recognize the symptoms, and identify the disorder? Today I want to talk about Sleep Apnea, and its symptoms.

This particular sleep disorder can easily go undetected, or misdiagnosed by the average person. The reason is, some of the most critical symptoms, like heavy snoring, and trouble breathing, happen while you are sleeping.

Let me make one point here about snoring. I would say that every case of sleep apnea, is coupled with snoring. But snoring alone doesn't mean you have apnea. There are plenty of people out there who snore without any ill effects.

Most people wake up without any comprehension of what went on while they slept. Only if you have someone sleeping in the same room that might be disturbed, and complain about your symptoms, will you have any indication that something is wrong.

For this reason, so many people suffer without ever knowing the reason why. Even though most of the symptoms happen during sleep time, there are some that you will experience while awake, and that should be your starting point for further investigation.

Do you wake with headaches often? Are you normally tired during the day, even after you feel you have had a good nights rest? Do you have problems maintaining an adequate concentration level, have irritability, and have frequent urination during the night?

Now grant it, all or some of the above could be symptoms of something besides sleep apnea, but this is only a starting point. If you experience some of these symptoms, then you should start to look into whether or not you have sleep apnea.

If you have a bed partner, then start by asking them if they have been disturbed or have noticed if you snore loudly or gasp for air while sleeping. Depending on the severity of your apnea you could stop breathing dozens of times through the night.

This is very dangerous, especially for the elderly, for this could cause a stroke, or heart attack. The reason you stop breathing, is because while sleeping, the throat muscles relax, and the throat collapses blocking the airway. This is called obstructive sleep apnea or (OSA) and is the most common type of sleep apnea.

When this happens, it forces your brain to wake you so you can start breathing again. This will go on all through the night, and is the reason you feel tired all through the day. The problem is, you won't remember it in the morning.

There are sleep devices to help with sleep apnea that can be bought over the counter, or prescribed by a doctor depending on your personal need.

If you feel there is a possibility that you might have sleep apnea, but don’t have anyone that can tell you what is going on while you sleep, then here are a few alternatives. First you can set up your own camera to film yourself while you’re asleep.

You can also keep a sleep diary; so every time you wake, you write down the time, and the reason you woke. Of course this isn’t going to work well if you are only experiencing the symptoms that happen in your sleep.

But you can write down how you feel when you wake, and during the daytime. This can be very beneficial information you can give to your doctor. This will help him/her with diagnosing the problem. The last thing is to get into a sleep study.

Have your doctor recommend you for a study where you would stay overnight in a sleep clinic. There they can observe you through the night. They will keep track of your blood pressure, brain activity, heart rate, and oxygen level just to name a few.

This is probably the best way to make sure you get diagnosed correctly, and receive the proper treatment. Remember, sleep is a very important part of a healthy life. Don't go another day without getting help.