Sleep Apnea Symptoms Are Not Always Easy To Spot
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Sleep apnea symptoms are most frequently observed in men who are over forty and also overweight but they can appear at any time in both men and women and are being seen increasingly in children.
The clearest symptom of sleep apnea is snoring which is hard to spot yourself and generally needs to be brought to your attention by a sleeping partner. There are many reasons for snoring and the simple fact that you snore is not in itself an indication that you have sleep apnea. However, maost sleep apnea sufferers snore.
The second clear symptom of sleep apnea is excessive daytime tiredness. Sleep apnea sufferers stop breathing frequentlyduring sleep and the body’s natural reaction is to awaken you enough for you to start breathing again, but not enough for you to be conscious of the fact that you are being aroused. This of course means that your sleep is continually interrupted and therefore very light so that you are not getting the deep sleep which your body needs. The result of this is that you become more and more tired during the day.
Left untreated the effects of sleep apnea start to emerge and you will begin to experience additional symptoms which may include headaches (in particular first thing in the morning), tetchiness and even depression. You may also notice that you are starting to gain weight.
Yet another not quite so obvious sign of sleep apnea is an increase in blood pressure that can lead to several cardiovascular difficulties. If you are one of the growing number of people who are now monitoring their blood pressure at home you will pick this up fairly easily but, it not, it will not be found unless you attend your doctor’s office to have a routine physical examination.
One further symptom is that of increasing problems with memory retention and learning difficulties. This is once again not something which is easy for you to notice yourself but others around you may well notice that you are not as fast on the uptake as you once were.
Lastly, some sufferers from sleep apnea will notice a decline in sexual function which can eventually result in impotency.
Any of these symptoms in isolation could point to just about any problem you can think of. When you begin to notice these symptoms appearing alongside one another however then there is a good chance that you have sleep apnea and you ought to consult your doctor and think about being tested for sleep apnea.
