Symptoms

Symptoms of Sleep Apnea

If you’ve ever had a stuffed-up nose, you know the feeling of trying to breathe through a very narrow passageway. If the entire passage becomes blocked and you can’t breathe at all, you have sleep apnea. This can result in a loss of restful, healthy sleep, which can cause:

• Accidents
• Daytime sleepiness
• Headaches
• Irritability
• Lack of concentration
• Poor memory

You should see your sleep medicine
specialist if:

• You are told by bed partners that you snore loudly or stop breathing at night.
• You are sleepy during the day even if you get a full night's sleep.
• You have a sore throat and dry mouth every morning.
• Sleep does not refresh you, and you feel exhausted when you wake in the morning.
• You have had a hard time controlling your blood pressure or blood sugars.
• You have atrial fibrillation that has been hard to control, resistant to attempts to revert to a normal heart rhythm.
• You have a hard time falling asleep.
• You wake gasping for breath at night.