Warning Signs and Sleep Apnea Symptoms

Sleep apnea is the condition where breathing is systematically stopped or paused during sleep. This is not as uncommon disorder as it affects almost 4% of middle-aged males and 2% of the female. The condition also doesn’t qualify age, it can afflict all ages including children and toddlers. But the numbers significantly increases as the age level advances. A study reports that as much as 60% of people over 65 year’s old showed obstructive sleep apnea symptoms.

The numbers are certainly alarming. Sleep apnea is mostly a progressive disorder, meaning it starts mildly and aggravates over time and unhealthy conditions. Know the warning signs of sleep apnea symptoms early on. Mild cases are invariably a lot easier to treat. There are also sleep apnea exercises that can help in firming slack muscles in the airways. And to avoid the disease, it is also advised to know the top sleep apnea causes.

1. EDS – A ruined body clock is a sure sign that you are not sleeping well. More than that it could also signify that you are not getting quality sleep. The excessive amount of sleepiness during the day even after more than enough time in bed could be a result of the multiple interruptions of your sleep, many of which are oblivious to you. Only from deep and continuous sleep can the body fully rest and wake up revitalized.

2. Snoring – This is another symptom that is oblivious to the patient. Your bed partner might find it amazing how you can’t hear your own racket but would wake up instantly to the alarm clock. The snoring is caused by the blockages in your airways, most especially the uvula that hangs smack in the middle of your throat, in the back part of your mouth. Slack and large uvula vibrates during the intake and expelling of air while breathing, causing the noise. Non-snorers usually have firm and small uvula and wide airways.

3. Bad mornings – If you normally starts your day with a headache and an aspirin, you should get checked for sleep apnea. This is one of the symptoms that are known to the patient. You might also wake up dry mouthed as most people afflicted with this illness sleep open mouthed. This is a natural reflex of the body to widen otherwise constricted airways. Waking up dizzy, tired and feeling disoriented are also typically.

4. Memory Gaps – Do you have problems recalling events, past and future? Are you too young to be forgetful? Memory gaps and lapses could be triggered by the stressed state that you are in. Normally, we refresh our mind and body with sleep, but quality sleep is deprived to people with sleep apnea.

You might be suffering from one or two of the sleep apnea symptoms above, and still is skeptical of your condition. There is one sure way to confirm the disorder and that is by undergoing the polysomnography. This is the clinical testing of the sleep apnea symptoms. Early detection is the key to easy and successful treatment.