Signs Of Sleep Apnea That Slip Under The Radar

1. You're a super loud snorer

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If you're a culprit of sounding like a rumbling volcano when you sleep...then perhaps it's not just that you're prone to snoring. but you may have an underlying issue. Snoring can sometimes be a sign or symptom of sleep apnea as you struggle to get the air out because the airways are not opened fully.

2. You wake up gasping for air

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Sleep apnea is a disorder where your breathing is frequently interrupted throughout your sleep, and so waking up gasping for air (on a frequent basis) is a sign that your breathing has been interrupted and your body's natural response is to wake up and get the air/oxygen you need.

3. You feel excessively sleepy during the day

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When you have sleep apnea it can cause you to feel sleepy all day because your body has not gotten quality sleep due to waking up at regular intervals. Due to the obstructed or interrupted breathing it has also not had a regulated amount of oxygen through the night which can leave you feeling exhausted!

4. You have a headache when you wake up

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Sometimes waking up with a headache can mean that you didn't get a sufficient amount of oxygen through the night. If this happens a lot, then one reason may be sleep apnea because of the obstructed breathing, you are not taking in a regular inhale of breath and oxygen.

5. You wake up with a dry mouth

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Waking up with a dry mouth can feel pretty nasty in the morning. When you wake up with a dry mouth it often means that your mouth has been opened whilst you sleep. One reason for this may be sleep apnea, when your body is trying to take in more breath, your mouth may open as a response.

6. You have a very restless sleep

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Of course, due to the nature of sleep apnea, it's typical that you cannot get a peaceful night's sleep. You wake up consistently throughout the night and it feels as though you can never get any decent shut-eye! You may find yourself tossing and turning!

7. You have frequent mood changes

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Mood changes can be linked to many, many things. But you can't expect to feel like yourself when you are not getting enough rest and recovery. It will no doubt take its toll on your emotional well being

8. You have insomnia

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Insomnia can stem from sleep apnea. When your breathing is interrupted or blocked in the night, it can your body to panic. You then may fear going to sleep again because of these feelings which you associate with sleeping, or because you fear missing a breath. These can then cause insomnia!

9. You feel like you are choking in your sleep

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It's such a scary feeling when you jump awake because of the feeling that you are choking. This happens when you miss a breath and your body gasps to take another, making it feel as though you are actually temporarily choking which may be because you have sleep apnea.

10. You feel pain in your chest when you sleep

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Chest pain is always something that you should get checked out. But, it may also be a sign of sleep apnea. Sometimes when we are not intaking enough oxygen, it can cause a pain in our chest. You may experience this when you are sleeping, it can even make you dream that you are feeling the sensation.

11. You wake up with heart palpitations

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You'll know if you've ever held your breath underwater or you missed a breath, that your heart may beat irregularly or may speed up. One reason for this is that your body is responding to the lack of air, another is the panic that we feel when we experience this which can lead to palpitations.

12. You regularly have heartburn

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Not many people realize that one of the symptoms of sleep apnea is heartburn or a similar feeling in your chest. You may find that if you have sleep apnea you may experience it throughout the night or even when you wake up as a result of the condition.

13. You pee a lot throughout the night

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If you find yourself waking up through the night and needing to pee you'd probably assume you had a weak bladder. But, it's one of the misunderstood symptoms of sleep apnea too. When you wake up due to breathing difficulties, you then may feel the urge to pee because you are awake and aware of your senses.

14. You have a wide neck

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It may sound strange, but having a larger neck circumference can increase your chances of sleep apnea, due to the pressure of your neck when you lie down pressing on your airways meaning that they become more narrow, making it harder to breathe steadily through the night.

15. You wake yourself up snorting

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Everybody wakes themselves up snorting from time to time, or at least they have heard somebody else do it. But if this is a frequent occurrence it could be due to sleep apnea. It works in a similar way as gasping for air. Missing the breath as you breathe through your nose means that you make a snorting nose.

16. You have restless legs

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Restless legs can be caused by a lack of sleep or a lack of quality sleep. If you've ever experienced restless legs you'll know that it's much worse than it sounds. And, if this is something that you get frequently then it may be caused by an underlying issue such as sleep apnea.

17. You sleep in strange positions

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Sleeping in strange positions, such as with your head lolled forward, can increase the likelihood of developing sleep apnea. When your neck or your head are in positions like this, you may restrict your airways meaning that they are more likely to become obstructed so that you cannot breathe properly.

18. You have a low libido

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Libidos vary depending on mood, hormones, and of course how much sleep we get! If we're not getting quality sleep night after night due to sleep apnea, then of course, we're not going to be in the mood! A consistently low libido may mean that there is something else going on.

19. You struggle to fall asleep

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Sleep apnea can mean that you struggle to fall asleep for a variety of reasons. But, one of the main issues of falling asleep when you have sleep apnea is the psychological fear that when you sleep you will not be able to breathe. This can then prevent you from sleeping at all.

20. You sweat a lot during your sleep

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When you have sleep apnea your body is constantly waking up in a state of panic due to the response to not breathing. Then, as a response to this, you may sweat a lot. Sleep apnea can be extremely stressful and you should always inform a medical professional.

21. You have a hard time concentrating

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Who can concentrate on no sleep? Maybe once or twice, for example, pulling an all-nighter to complete overdue essays during college days was something we all managed. But every night? Nobody can deal well with that, and you definitely can't concentrate well!

22. You have high blood pressure

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High blood pressure can be caused by lifestyle factors such as diet AND sleep, as well as stress. Sleep plays a huge part in blood pressure and less sleep is associated with higher blood pressure. The added stress on top may also contribute to high blood pressure.

23. You grind your teeth in the night

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Grinding your teeth in the night is usually a sign of tension. Our jaws hold a lot of our physical tension and so without even realizing you may be clenching it together and causing you to grind your teeth. Tension in the night is sometimes caused by sleep apnea!

24. You wake up feeling super groggy

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Someone with sleep apnea may find that every time they wake up in the morning, they feel totally groggy and exhausted and barely ever refreshed due to the interrupted night's sleep. So if this is how you always feel, don't just dismiss it, maybe check out if there's a reason such as sleep apnea causing it.

25. You don't feel like you can breathe easily when you are lying down

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Some people with sleep apnea prefer to stay propped up so that they are not laid flat. According to some, they find that sleeping flat makes them feel worse, as they feel that it puts extra pressure onto the airways which can more easily become blocked and make it worse.

26. You carry a lot of extra weight

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Statistics show that people classified as medically overweight are more likely to develop or experience the condition of sleep apnea. This is because of the extra weight which can mean that obstruction when breathing is caused more easily than without excess weight.

27. You've got a family history of sleep apnea

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Like many things in life, sleep apnea can also be genetic, meaning that if you're mum or your dad or your grandparents had sleep apnea, unfortunately, you're statistically more likely to have it too! This of course doesn't guarantee anything, however, it does increase the likelihood.

28. You are older

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Another factor that may work against you in terms of increasing the likelihood of having or developing sleep apnea is your age. The older you are, the more likely you are to have it. But of course, young people can also have the condition too, it is not exclusive to older people.

29. You're a man!

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And another factor that statistically makes it more likely that you will have sleep apnea is being a man. Statistically, a higher proportion of men do have sleep apnea than women do. However, again this does not mean that many women can also suffer from it too.

30. You have obstructed nasal passages

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Now a very likely sign that you may have sleep apnea is if you have obstructed nasal passages. This may be that your nasal passageways are narrower than most people, or that you have some kind of obstruction or partially collapsed nasal passage, each of which may make it more difficult to breathe.