The Symptoms Of Sleep Apnea Are Not Always Easy To Recognize

Although sleep apnea is a very common condition today the true number of suffers is hidden by the fact that sleep apnea symptoms are frequently hard to detect.

Sleep apnea is an extremely commonly seen sleep disorder that affects more than 12,000,000 US citizens and nowadays is as common as adult diabetes.

The most commonly seen type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea which, as the name suggests, results from an obstruction to your airways that produces difficulties with breathing. There is also a second type of sleep apnea known as central sleep apnea, in which your brain cannot control your breathing adequately during sleep. Finally, a number of people suffer from mixed sleep apnea, which is a combination of obstructive sleep apnea and central forms of the condition.

Sleep apnea symptoms may appear at any time and, although they are most often seen in overweight men over the age of 40, they may be seen in men and women at any age and are being seen more and more today in children.

The most noticeable symptom of sleep apnea is snoring which is unfortunately a difficult symptom to spot yourself and generally has to be pointed out to you by your sleeping partner. Snoring has many causes and snoring is not by itself an indication that you are suffering from sleep apnea. It is the case nevertheless that most sufferers will snore.

The second most noticeable sleep apnea symptom is excessive tiredness during the day. When you suffer from sleep apnea you stop breathing many times throughout the night and your body's natural reaction to this is to wake you just sufficiently to start you breathing again, but not enough for you to be aware that you are being awakened. The result of this is that your sleep is frequently interrupted and extremely light and you cannot enjoy the deep sleep which your body needs to recharge its batteries. As a result, over time, you find yourself becoming more and more tired during the day.

If sleep apnea is left untreated its affects will begin to become increasingly evident and a range of additional symptoms will begin to appear. These could include headaches (especially first thing in the morning), bad temper and possibly depression. You may also find yourself starting to put on weight.

One of the less obvious symptoms of sleep apnea is increased blood pressure which can result in a variety of cardiovascular difficulties. This will be picked up if you are one of the growing number of people who are now monitoring their blood pressure regularly at home but otherwise will not be picked up until you call in for a routine physical exam with your physician.

Another symptom is that of learning difficulties and difficultues with memory. Once again this is not something that is easy to detect yourself but family and friends may notice that you are not as fast on the uptake as you used to be.

A number of individuals with sleep apnea will notice a drop in their sexual function and this may lead to impotency.

As with a lot of medical conditions individual symptoms could well be a sign of almost anything. But, if you begin to notice these symptoms alongside each onther then you ought to think about talking to your physician and consider having yourself tested for sleep apnea.

A word of caution. Testing for sleep apnea will usually mean referral to a sleep specialist, preferably one who is certified by the American Board of Sleep Medicine (ABSM), and may involve being subjected to overnight sleep testing either in a special sleep laboratory or at home. These tests will frequently cost upwards of $1,000 and you may wish to check with your health insurer before you commit yourself to any program of sleep apnea testing.

Comments? Questions? Email Here

© HowtoAdvice.com

How to Advice .com