Of all the sleep apnea symptoms, the first one that comes to mind is sleepiness. Someone with sleep apnea struggles to get a good night’s sleep. Consequently, that individual is always sleepy. Yet sleepiness represents only one of the sleep apnea symptoms.
Some sleep apnea symptoms are similar to those found with sleep deprivation. Morning headaches and dry mouth are examples of such symptoms. Repeated morning headaches and frequent episodes of dry mouth could easily a sign that you’re suffering with sleep apnea.
Other sleep apnea symptoms are problems with concentration, forgetfulness and depression. These are among the less obvious sleep apnea symptoms. They represent behavior that has been associated with many things other than sleep deprivation. They might easily be overlooked or attributed to hunger, aging, or stress.
One way to determine whether or not lapses in alertness result from sleep apnea is to try and improve the quality and quantity of your sleep.
Keeping regular hours bedtime hours, avoiding caffeine and the development of a bedtime routing should all help you to sleep better. If you use these strategies, over a period of time your daytime sleepiness should diminish. However, if you don’t start to see improvement after a couple of weeks it may be that you are suffering with sleep apnea and a visit to your doctor would be advised.
Formal identification of sleep apnea requires observation during sleep. Snoring can be another sleep apnea symptom, although not all those snore suffer with sleep apnea. Unfortunately, not all individuals have someone at hand to listen for sounds of snoring. With small children, snoring is less pronounced and sleep apnea is best detected by a skilled physician.
Regardless of an individual’s age or medical history, the presence of sleep apnea symptoms needs to be addressed. Consult with your physician if you are concerned about sleep apnea.
