Sleep Apnea Symptoms

Sleep apnea symptoms vary depending on the different types, as well as the severity of the disorder and age of the individual. Adults with obstructive sleep apnea exhibit the following symptoms:

• Loud snoring – almost all sleep apnea suffers snore, but not all snorers have sleep apnea
• Hypersomnia – interferes with daily activities, especially while driving, working, talking or eating
• Relentless tossing and turning
• Nighttime choking spells
• Nighttime gasping
• Nighttime sweating
• Nighttime chest pain
• Unrefreshed waking feeling
• Rapid weight gain
• Morning/night headaches
• Heartburn
• Sour taste in mouth
• Swelling of leg in obese individuals
• Nocturia
• Memory/concentration problems
• Poor judgment
• Depression
• Mood/personality changes

Children with obstructive sleep apnea rarely experience hypersomnia, but they exhibit some other sleep apnea symptoms similar to adults:

• Snoring
• Mouth breathing
• Nighttime sweating
• Frequent awakenings
• Daytime restlessness
• Bed wetting
• Poor school activity
• Stunted growth
• Behavioral problems
• Short attention span
• Developmental delays
• Cor pulmonale

Unlike obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea usually does not entail loud snoring. The common central sleep apnea symptoms include:

• Hypersomnia
• Frequent awakenings
• Difficulty swallowing
• Voice changes
• Bodily weakness/numbness
• Irritability
• Lack of concentration
• Increased blood pressure
• Heart disease
• Cyanosis

There are also a number of complications associated with both types of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea sufferers have been known to experience cardiovascular problems. In 2005, The New England Journal of Medicine reported that sleep apnea greatly increases the risk of stroke. Sleep apnea sufferers also experience complications with medication and surgeries, especially when placed under general anesthesia. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) are two other complications that are often prevalent among sleep apnea sufferers. GERD involves the backflow of stomach contents into the esophagus; stomach contents reach the upper airways with LPR. Both conditions cause the airways to become inflamed and therefore narrower. The sleep partners of individuals with sleep apnea often suffer as well; tossing and turning, choking sounds and loud snoring can disrupt the partner’s normal sleep patterns. Children with sleep apnea can get bad reps – they are often seen as having behavioral problems and diagnosed with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder. Sleep apnea can also disrupt an individual’s immune system, hormone levels and metabolic system, increasing the risk for diabetes.

Sleep apnea symptoms closely resemble the symptoms associated with hypothyroidism and other sleep disorders, such as narcolepsy and restless leg syndrome. For this reason and because most sleep apnea symptoms are exhibited at night when the individual is unaware, a medical evaluation must be conducted by a professional.