Symptoms of Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is characterized by involuntary lapses in breathing for its sufferers while they sleep. Sleep apnea is known to have multiple, additional symptoms that may be extremely subtle, yet extremely debilitating over time. One pervasive reason for their sleep apnea suffers’ symptoms seem to be subtle is that, for the most part, they frequently appear in such a way that the sufferer does not immediately notice any adverse affects and so unconsciously adapts their behaviors around them. Over time, the symptoms frequently increase in magnitude yet the sufferer has become acclimated to their adverse affects, further perpetuating the initial sleep apnea cause. This vicious cycle is the main reason that so many cases of sleep apnea go unnoticed for prolonged periods of time.

Symptoms of sleep apnea include, but are not limited to short periods of not breathing during sleep periods, an abnormal occurrence of lethargy or sleepiness during waking hours, frequent episodes of nodding off during the day, headaches in the morning, weight gain, memory loss, a limited attention span, suffering of judgment, loud snoring, and even drastic changes in personality. More underlying and frequently less detected associated sleep apnea symptoms may include behaviors that are described as automatic, high blood pressure, swelling in the legs, and hyperactivity in children.

It should be emphasized that sleep apnea sufferers do not remember their nighttime bouts with the sleep apnea affliction and thus do not often associate their symptoms with the underlying cause of sleep apnea. This further perpetuates the cause of sleep apnea frequently going undiagnosed or even misdiagnosed unless proper testing is performed by a physician that is familiar with sleep apnea. Almost all of the symptoms of sleep apnea are caused in direct relation to the lack of sleep or troubled sleep that comes as a result from the sufferers’ bodies attempting to acclimate itself to the apnea condition throughout repeated nights. In order to properly diagnose the sufferer for the correct condition, a thorough examination of all sleep apnea symptoms must be performed along with a rigorous and thorough examination of the patient’s sleep patterns and possible troubles, which can be performed by an experienced physician.