The commonest form of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea which, as its name implies, arises from an obstruction to your airways that produces problems with breathing. In addition, there is a second form of sleep apnea known as central sleep apnea, in which your brain cannot adequately control your breathing during sleep. Finally, some people suffer from mixed sleep apnea, which is a combination of both obstructive and central forms of this sleep disorder.



Sleep apnea symptoms can arise at any time and, although they are most often found in overweight men who are over the age of forty, they can be found in both men and women of all ages and are being seen quite frequently now in children.

The most noticeable symptom of sleep apnea is snoring which is unfortunately a hard symptom to spot yourself and usually has got to be pointed out to you by your sleeping partner. There can be many reasons for snoring and snoring is not in itself a sign that you are suffering from sleep apnea. Most sleep apnea sufferers do snore.

The second most noticeable symptom of sleep apnea is unusual tiredness during the day. With sleep apnea you stop breathing frequently throughout the night and your body's instinctive reaction to this is to wake you just enough for you to begin breathing again, but not enough for you to be aware of the fact that you are being awakened. The result of this is that your sleep is extremely light and continually interrupted and you cannot enjoy the deep sleep which the body needs in order to recharge its batteries. As a result, in time, you find that you are getting ever more tired during the day.

If sleep apnea is left untreated its affects will begin to become increasingly evident and a range of further symptoms will begin to appear. These may include headaches (especially first thing in the morning), tetchiness and sometimes depression. You could also find that you are beginning to put on weight.

A not quite so obvious symptom of sleep apnea is raised blood pressure which can result in a number of cardiovascular problems. This will be detected if you are among the increasing number of people who now monitor their own blood pressure at home but might not otherwise be seen until you call in for a routine physical exam with your physician.

Another increasingly common symptom is that of learning difficulties and difficultues with memory. Again this is not easy to see yourself but friends and family might well notice that you are not as fast on the uptake as you used to be.

Some sleep apnea sufferers will experience a decline in sexual function and this could ultimately result in impotency.

As is the case with with many conditions individual symptoms could be a sign of almost anything. But, if you begin to see these symptoms alongside each onther then you ought to think about consulting your doctor and possibly consider being tested for sleep apnea.

One word of caution. Sleep apnea testing will often mean referral to a sleep specialist, preferably one certified by the American Board of Sleep Medicine (ABSM), and might mean undergoing overnight sleep testing either at home or in a sleep laboratory. These tests will often cost more than $1,000 and you should check with your insurance company before you commit yourself to any program of sleep apnea testing.