Signs That You Could Be Suffering from Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Posted on: 19 July 2016
Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition in which individuals experience brief periods of pauses in their breathing while they sleep. Unfortunately, this condition can remain undetected if one does not have a partner who notices this disrupted breathing pattern while you sleep. This article discusses some of the signs that may alert you that you could be suffering from obstructive sleep apnea.
Feeling Unrefreshed
One possible indicator that you could be suffering from sleep apnea is a feeling of tiredness even after you have had several hours of sleep. For instance, you may wake up feeling tired even after you have had eight hours of sleep. That tiredness may have been caused by the disruptions to your sleep as the body struggled to get oxygen during those brief moments of paused breathing. Obstructive sleep apnea does not allow you to have one continuous session of sleep. Instead, those hours that you spend sleeping are divided into short sleep sessions that are interrupted by the pause in breathing.
Sleepiness During the Day
Another common sign of obstructive sleep apnea is that sufferers easily fall asleep during the day while they are at work or at home. Such a person may doze off when having a conversation with a family member. The sleepiness is usually an indicator that you are sleep deprived, even if you go to bed early and wake up after several hours.
Loss of Concentration
People who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea may notice that they find it hard to concentrate. They may also feel irritable most of the time. Some even suffer from memory loss. These aspects of impaired cognitive ability may stem from mental fatigue that builds up when you do not get sufficient rest when you retire to sleep at the end of your day.
Loud Snoring
Those around you usually detect this symptom when you sleep. However, you can also notice that you snore loudly. For instance, you may doze off while you are at work. That brief moment of sleep may be interrupted when you hear yourself snoring just before you fall into deep sleep.
You can ask someone, such as a family member, to share a room with you and find out whether you gasp or choke while you sleep. That may provide additional proof that you could be having obstructive sleep apnea. However, it is better to contact your doctor so that he or she can diagnose the condition professionally. He or she will then advise you about what steps you can take to deal with the factors that have made you to develop the condition.
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