There are so many symtoms of sleep apnea that can be attributed to other medical conditions that sometimes the sleeping order can be very difficult to diagnose. For example, some of the more common symtoms include depression, anxiety and mood swings. These can be attributed to almost anything, from premenstrual syndrome to bipolar disorder. When misdiagnosed, the patient can end up on a slew of antidepressant prescriptions that will treat the symtoms, but do nothing to effect the root cause. As a result, the sleep apnea can go untreated for years, causing serious damage to the heart that can manifest itself as a massive heart attack.
Other symtoms of sleep apnea may seem minor. So much so, in fact, that you won't think twice about them. Many people, for instance, wouldn't think twice about a decrease in sex drive or increased frequency of urination. Heavy sweating at night could be attributed to night terrors or a hotter than normal room temperature. Adding to the confusion, you can't rule out the symptoms because of the age, sex or race of the person who is experiencing them. Sleep apnea can affect anyone and everyone, and does so indiscriminately. So, how does one know if they have sleep apnea or not?
The only way to find out for sure if what you're experiencing are symtoms of sleep apnea is to see your doctor and get some tests done. Of course, it's much easier to diagnose (and treatment comes much faster) when you've got a bedmate who can attest to a lapse in your breathing at night. Depending on your age, your doctor may prescribe a regimen of drugs or even surgery. The good thing is that sleep apnea can be cured, and it does not have to be a death sentence if caught early enough.
Because sleep apnea has the potential to be a life threatening condition, it's important to know the symptoms of sleep apnea in order to catch the problem before it's too late. Literally meaning without breath, apnea is when your snoring is interrupted by periods of breathlessness lasting 10 seconds or more. In many cases, this loss of breath is followed by an audible gasp for air. While some symptoms of sleep apnea are easily disguised as something else, such as morning headaches, forgetfulness or trouble concentrating, others are more specific to the disorder.
Esophageal reflux, getting up several times in the same night to urinate (nocturia), heavy sweating and decreased sex drive are all common symptoms of sleep apnea. If you experience one without any of the others, it isn't likely to be caused by the sleeping disorder. On the other hand, if you're experiencing several of these symptoms it may be time to make an appointment with your family doctor. When caught in time, sleep apnea is less likely to have fatal consequence. The most common cause of death related to sleep apnea is an increase in pulmonary pressures that are related to one side of your heart. If left untreated, it can result in congestive heart failure.
Even if you never have troubles with your heart, sleep apnea can still do a number on you. One of the other symptoms of sleep apnea is depression, irritability and changes in behavior. These three can combine to make a normally sane person act completely crazy and out of character. The symptoms just listed are particularly troubling, considering that many times people won't associate them with sleep apnea at all. The misdiagnoses and treatments that follow may mask the symptoms for awhile, but they will do nothing to treat the sleep apnea condition that is causing them all.