Sleep Apnea Symptoms You Should Not Ignore

Sleep Apnea Symptoms

Hi, I’m John and I was diagnosed with sleep apnea in 2023 without having any clue about it. So, what is sleep apnea? By definition, it is a condition where your sleep is actively disturbed due to airflow problems and you experience breathing pauses during sleep. First of all, I must say this is a condition which should be taken seriously.

There are countless studies showing why sleep is one of the most important factors in life. In fact, if we use an average calculation of general sleeping time, 8 hours per night multiplied by 365 days, it totals 2,920 hours per year and around 200,000 hours of sleep in a whole life cycle with the estimated worldwide average lifespan of 73 years.

So why should you care? Because sleeping less than you should already causes damage to your body and when you add a possible sleep apnea diagnosis on top of it, we are talking about the brain not receiving enough air during sleep, which will also result in a shorter lifespan estimate.

Sleep Apnea Signs

Let us talk a little about the possible signs that one may encounter:

• Snoring
• Headache
• Breathing pauses
• Lower energy levels
• Feeling anxious
• Brain fog
• Dry and sore mouth
• Weight on your chest
• Weight increase
• Concentration problems
• Need to urinate in the middle of the night
  

I know, right? There is a lot to guess from, as usual. Some symptoms might be something that we occasionally encounter or may even be permanent but linked to another problem rather than sleep apnea.

Click “Read Now” to See How I Got My Sleep Apnea Diagnosis

If you have not read my full story yet, go ahead and maybe you will find something similar to your current problems.

How Could You Know if You Have Sleep Apnea?

Since you are now informed about the most common symptoms of sleep apnea, you should listen to your body. Do you have any of the symptoms listed?

Something which is very important but usually left behind is the know-how of correct monitoring. How could you evaluate your overall condition?

So what I would recommend you to do next is to think if you have any of the symptoms listed above. For example, if you have an urgent need to urinate in the middle of the night or you have wake-ups during the night and then experience a massive headache, sore mouth, and restless feeling in the morning.

The reason why I emphasize this is that your symptoms do not only happen during the night but you will notice them 24/7. However, the strongest clues can be made and noticed in the middle of the night or right in the morning. As we are individuals, of course the symptoms might differ, but usually the morning headache and sore mouth say a lot about your sleep.

Sleep Apnea Testing

Due to highly advanced technology there are a few ways to determine whether you have this condition or not. Let us list them, but as a disclaimer you should always contact your nearest medical center for further guidance.

• A home sleep apnea test (HSAT)
• Overnight polygraphy / cardiorespiratory polygraphy
• Polysomnography (PSG)

What Should You Know About Sleep Apnea Testing

A home sleep apnea test is a simpler version of an in-lab polysomnography. HSAT focuses on breathing patterns, oxygen levels, and heart rate, while PSG also records brain activity and sleep stages for a full sleep disorder evaluation.

So in general, HSAT is a lighter version but not bad in any way. It just does not catch the most advanced information that doctors use to interpret your sleeping results. In most countries, a home sleep apnea test can be arranged either through public healthcare or privately. In the US, prices range from $150 to $500 depending on insurance coverage.

Now you might be wondering, what the heck? It should have been a home test, yes you can do it at home and so on. You can also find HSAT testers from a variety of websites, but if you want a medical condition to be labeled and assured to be 100% accurate, the doctor will make the final diagnosis. That is why the most efficient way is to just consult healthcare in case you have suspicion about your condition and sleep apnea symptoms you might have.

If you’re ready to take control of your sleep health, The Sleep Doctor’s home sleep apnea test kit is an easy, reliable way to get started all from the comfort and privacy of your own home. This FDA-cleared test provides accurate, medically-backed results that can help you and your doctor understand your sleep issues faster and with less hassle than traditional lab tests

Sleep Apnea Treatment

As there are many reasons for sleep apnea, there are also many ways to treat the condition. Usually, people discuss overweight solely. Yes, it can be one of the reasons behind it or one of them. Before treatment, it should be located what is causing your sleep apnea because then the doctor can direct you on the right path.

• CPAP, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure
• BiPAP, Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure
• Oral Appliances, Mandibular Advancement Devices or MADs
• Surgical Treatments

Let us view them one by one. CPAP provides a constant air pressure slamming through any obstacles you might have, such as loose tongue or jaw, stuffy nose, or some special condition making your nose or mouth cause blocking of the airways. CPAP then keeps them open the whole time.

If you’re starting with CPAP therapy,here’s a great palce to explore CPAP machines and Masks tailored for beginners and experienced users alike.

BiPAP, on the other hand, is usually not the first option to start using. It is first suggested to use CPAP and BiPAP is used in case you cannot use CPAP. The reason for that is that BiPAP is a little bit more advanced and it offers two different pressure levels such as inhalation and exhalation.

BiPAP is often used if you cannot tolerate CPAP because it offers two different pressure levels, higher pressure during inhalation and lower pressure during exhalation, making breathing easier and more comfortable for some users.

As I mentioned earlier briefly, before treatment, the reason for your sleep apnea should be well located. As we can see, the treatments are perfectly distinct from each other and should be selected carefully. It is not any different when it comes to MADs because, for example, the oral appliances, mandibular advancement devices, will reposition the lower jaw forward to ease breathing, ideal for mild sleep apnea or CPAP intolerant patients.

Surgery, on the other hand, is something that can be done to reduce sleep apnea problems or even, in the best scenario, remove them almost completely.

Key Takeaways

Remember to listen to your body, actively listen to yourself in the mornings. Do you feel that you have gotten enough rest?

Seek testing. It is the most important part to find out whether you have sleep apnea or not. By the way, testing is not awful anyway, so do not give it a second thought.

Maybe the most important thing is to spend as much time as possible locating the hidden reason or reasons, knowing what causes your sleep apnea to determine will you need surgery, which machine type, or mouthpiece MADs.

Still unsure about anything or want to share something with the community? Write your appreciated thoughts down below. This hub was built on people like you, readers who are willing to contribute through sharing thoughts and therefore keep the spirit of sleep apnea discussions alive.

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Br,
John
PureSleepHub