The Symptoms Of Sleep Apnea May Sometimes Be Difficult To Recognize

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Sleep apnea is a very commonly seen sleep disorder which affects over twelve million Americans and today is as common as adult diabetes.

The commonest type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea which, as its name indicates, results from an obstruction to your airways which interferes with breathing. In addition, there is another type of sleep apnea known as central sleep apnea, in which your brain is unable to control your breathing adequately during sleep. Some people suffer from mixed sleep apnea, which is a combination of both obstructive sleep apnea and central forms of the condition.

Sleep apnea symptoms can appear at any time and, while they are most often found in overweight men who are over 40, they can be seen in both men and women of all ages and are being seen increasingly now in children.

The most noticeable symptom of sleep apnea is snoring which is unfortunately a difficult symptom to spot yourself and generally needs to be pointed out to you by a sleeping partner. There can be many causes for snoring and snoring is not by itself an indication that you have sleep apnea. It is true nevertheless that the majority of will snore.

The second most noticeable sleep apnea symptom is abnormal tiredness during the day. When you are suffering from sleep apnea you stop breathing regularly during sleep and your body's instinctive reaction to this is to arouse you just sufficiently to start you breathing again, but not enough for you to be aware of the fact that you are being awakened. The result of this is that your sleep is frequently interrupted and very light and you do not enjoy the deep sleep which the body needs to recharge its batteries. As a result, in time, you find yourself getting more and more tired and sleepy during the day.

If sleep apnea is left untreated its affects will start to become increasingly evident and a range of further symptoms will start to appear. These could include headaches (particularly first thing in the morning), tetchiness and sometimes depression. You could also notice yourself beginning to put on weight.

One of the not quite so obvious symptoms of sleep apnea is an increase in blood pressure which can result in a number of cardiovascular problems. This will be spotted if you are among the growing number of individuals who now monitor their blood pressure regularly at home but otherwise may not be picked up until you have a routine physical exam with your doctor.

Another increasingly seen symptom is that of learning difficulties and difficultues with memory retention. Once again this is not easy to spot yourself but other people might well notice that you are no longer as quick on the uptake as you once were.

A few sleep apnea sufferers will experience a fall in their sexual function and this can ultimately result in impotency.

As is the case with with many conditions individual symptoms could be a sign of just about anything. However, if you start to see these symptoms coming together then you should consider talking to your physician and consider having yourself tested for sleep apnea.

One word of warning. Testing for sleep apnea will often involve referral to a sleep specialist, preferably one certified by the American Board of Sleep Medicine (ABSM), and might mean undergoing overnight sleep testing either at home or in a specialized sleep laboratory. These tests will frequently cost more than $1,000 and you may wish to check with your health insurance company before you commit yourself to a program of sleep apnea testing.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

Help-Me-To-Sleep.com offers information and advice on a range of different sleep disorders including sleep apnea and looks at sleep apnea symptoms amongst other things. We also look in detail at finding a natural insomnia remedy

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