Do I have Sleep Apnea?

I have been having problems with fatigue. I am ready to fall asleep at any time. If I happen to relax for a second I feel like I am about to fall asleep. (kind of scary at a stop light). I also wake up having a headache every morning and only in the morning. My husband says I snore and kind of take sharp breaths every once in a while. I do wake up often just to go right back to sleep. I went to the doctor yesterday and told him all of this and he says I have insomnia. I'm not sure I agree because I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow and have a hard time getting up in the morning. He put me on a sleeping pill but now I feel worse. Any thoughts? Do these symotoms sound like apnea?

Tracy, You have a lot of the symptoms of sleep apnea. If you are very overweight it is a good posibility that you have it. You need to see a pulmonary Doctor for proper diagnosis. Are you getting Gastric surgery? If you are, and your insurance needs a referral for specialists, go and tell your primary you need to see the pulmonary doctor as part of you pre op testing. My husband had all the symptoms that you have about 8 years ago and he has done fabulous on his Sleep apnea machine!! Good Luck Diane in NJ

Trace, your symptoms definitely sound like sleep apnea. You should really go see a pulmonologist and have a sleep study done. Most general practicioners are not experienced enough in sleep related disorders to ensure proper treatment. It is best to let a specialist handle these things. Sleep apnea is right up there with DUI when it comes to driving related deaths. It is a serious threat to your health as well. You can have heart and organ damage, neurological symptoms and continued weight gain from sleep apnea. Be cautious about taking sleep aids if you may have sleep apnea because the sleep aid can actually make apnea worse and cause dangerous results. I take a sleep aid, but only with cpap treatment and only with the okay from my sleep doctor. Best wishes to you. --Jaimee