Question:
What are the symtoms of Sleep Apnea

I would like to know some of the symtoms of slee Apnea i hear so much about it but not sure if it is the that i have with sleep?    — Amanda P. (posted on July 27, 2001)

July 27, 2001
Hi Amanda. First, you need to know what happens with it. While sleeping, a person with Obstuctive Sleep Apnea (OSA) gets a very poor night's sleep. This is because the fatty tissue muscles in everyone's throat relax when we sleep. A person with OSA has excess fatty tissue (us Morbidly Obese folks have excess fatty tissue everywhere ha ha). This excess fatty tissue collapses to the point (during sleep) that air cannot get through. So, we "wake up" just enough to get our airway cleared. You are not aware of this happening (at least, I wasn't). Then we go back into deep sleep, where this cycle begins again. It can happen dozens of times during the night. From this, a person with OSA only gets (I've heard) about 2 - 3 hours worth of "good sleep" in an 8-hour period. Over a period of weeks (months??), this lack of sleep catches up with us, and we have a difficult time staying awake thru the day. There are a few symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (beyond the afternoon drowsies). The easiest way to be sure (outside of a sleep study) is ask your partner (if you have a sleeping buddy). The snoring associated with OSA is very distinctive (and annoying). It is marked by a "break" in the snoring (as if you are holding your breath), followed by a sudden staccato-like snore (almost like little coughs). This is a tell-tale sign. Another symptom is the need to urinate often during the night (don't ask me why). I'm sure there are others, but these are the ones that I remember. Note OSA usually goes away once a Morbidly Obese person loses a chunk of the excess weight. Also note that not all people who have OSA are obese (but I think that most are). Good luck to you !!! Kevin
   — meilankev

July 27, 2001
I am a example of severe sleep apnea and a pressure of 17 with no outward symptoms other than snoring. I dont nap, sleep more than 8 hours, fall asleep reading, driving, riding, and only fall asleep during really boring movies. Some folks have apnea with no outward symptoms.
   — bob-haller

July 27, 2001
Kevin's response was great. I just want to add that if you think you might have OSA for any reason, get it checked out. I was diagnosed with it a year ago, and the treatment really upped my quality of life. Before, I was miserable during the day, constantly dozing off, couldn't focus, had a lot of headaches and I woke up a lot during the night. I had no clue it was sleep apnea! If you think you have it, ask your PCP to refer you to a neurologist, preferably a sleep specialist. Good luck!
   — BlueGray

July 27, 2001
A very important symptom that has not been included is high blood pressure. As your oxygen levels decrease, your heart must work harder to supply your body with oxygen. Some other symptoms are limited attention, headaches,awakening not rested, memory loss, weight gain, lethargy,and personality changes. My husband said that I was a different person after I started using my CPAP machine and I noticed an improvement in almost all of the above symptoms.
   — Pamela B.

July 27, 2001
I know before I got my c-pap machine and diagnosed with sleep apnea, I would get terrible headaches and never felt like I was getting enough sleep, even though I was sleeping the majority of the time. I also got up several times in the night to urinate, it seemed I always woke up with MAJOR dry mouth and had very vivid dreams! I was told that the dreams probably had nothing to do with the apnea but I disagree because recently I haven't been using my c-pap machine (which is falling apart and very uncomfortable and it will take an act of Congress to get hold of the company supplying the machine to me) and the vivid dreams have returned. I will get the mask replaced but I absolutely hate it and after 10 months with it still have not got used to it. However, fear makes me continue using it. I also agree with the other post about getting someone to watch you sleep. My snoring became embarrassing but one evening when my babysitter was here, I scared her when I stopped breathing. I just knew then that it was Apnea and called and made an appointment.
   — Happy B.