Sleep apnea has a number of very distinct symptoms. On their own, some of them—such as snoring or forgetfulness—may be innocent or unrelated. Together, however, they may indicate something more serious.
These symptoms can be categorized into several groups: sleep-related symptoms, oral/facial symptoms, and lifestyle-related symptoms.
Sleep Symptoms
Sleep apnea, as its name suggests, dramatically affects our ability to get proper sleep at night. You may experience several symptoms of sleep apnea during the night when you are trying to rest.
Loud Snoring| This symptom is one of the most noticeable results of sleep apnea, especially when the snoring is severe and chronic. Not all snoring is caused by apnea, but most apnea cases do come with snoring.
Choking or Gasping| If you find yourself choking, gasping, or coughing during the night, the cause may very well be sleep apnea. This can be caused by the closing of your airways and your body’s subsequent attempts to reopen them.
Waking Up Regularly| Sleep apnea closes your airways, and your body tries to reopen them through various means. One of those means is waking you up just long enough to consciously breathe in. This can happen as many as hundreds of times a night, breaking up REM cycles and reducing the amount of restful sleep you get each night.
Insomnia| It’s often difficult to fall asleep at all when our bodies know that they will have so many problems during the night. Even in situations where you aren’t aware that you’re waking up regularly, your subconscious might be reluctant to drift off.
Oral/Facial Symptoms
Difficulty in breathing can have a physical effect on the state of your mouth and airways.
Sore Throat| This symptom is especially prevalent in those with very severe snoring. The amount of vibration caused by this pinched breathing can cause a lot of friction, which then damages your throat tissues.
Dry Mouth| Many apnea sufferers necessarily breathe through their mouths at night. Breathing heavily through the mouth, rather than the nose, can dry out your mouth, nose, and throat through moisture loss and open exposure to outside air.
Jaw Tension| Sleep apnea is very often correlated with a dental difficulty called bruxism, which is grinding and clenching of teeth. Bruxism damages teeth, stresses the temporomandibular joint, and results in further dental problems.
Morning Headaches| Both snoring and bruxism can cause severe stress in the muscles and joints of the face and head. Headaches are a common result of this extra apnea-induced tension.
Lifestyle Symptoms
Sleep apnea not only affects our nights but our days as well. Several aspects of daily life become harder when our bodies aren’t able to get enough oxygen or to complete REM cycles. These include:
- Becoming more prone to forgetfulness.
- Experiencing unexplained mood changes.
- Feeling chronic sleepiness.
- Falling into microsleeps throughout the day.
- Finding you have no energy to carry out regular tasks.
- Becoming too tired to safely drive, even after a night’s sleep.
- Inexplicable weight gain.
These lifestyle changes happen because you are not able to fully rest at night, which impacts how you function during the day.
Talk to Us About Your Symptoms
If any of these symptoms apply to you, it’s very possible that you have an undiagnosed case of sleep apnea. Talk to us today about your symptoms. We will do what we can do to help relieve them through one of our treatment options.