If you have ever lived with someone who snores, then you already know how difficult it can be. Not only do you get woken up during the night and suffer for your lack of sleep the next day at work, the person snoring does not get any more rest than you do. Their snoring and sometimes teeth grinding keep them awake too.
You might think they are sleeping soundly. In fact, we have mythologized the person who is sleeping the soundest to be the one who is also snoring. That simply is not true.
Sleep apnea is a common sleeping disorder where during the course of sleep, you have one or more pauses in your breathing. These pauses could only a few seconds in length or could last a minute or more. Typically, these pauses will occur 30 or more times in an hour. This is one of the sleep apnea symptoms.
An estimated 18 million Americans suffer from the effects of sleep apnea and go through sleep apnea treatments. Somewhere between 2% and 4% of all people in the United States go undiagnosed and continue to suffer. If you or someone you love has a snoring problem, take a closer look at these three sleep apnea symptoms
1.) Loud snoring
We’ll start there because that might be the most obvious of all of the symptoms. Just because someone snores does not mean they have sleep apnea. It is, however, something to pay attention to.
2.) Waking up on multiple occasions with a choking or gasping sensation
As far as sleep apnea symptoms go, this one should get your attention. Waking up in this manner means that air has been cut off and their breathing stopped for a moment. How long, no one knows for sure each time.
3.) Changes in mood, forgetfulness, and a decreased interest in sex
A lack of good, quality sleep can really put a person off. They might not be acting like they are themselves and if you see this begin to happen, take note of this as a possible symptom. Not only might a person with undiagnosed sleep apnea snore and wake up with a start, he might start forgetting things he used to remember easily, like simple lists and where he put this or that.
There are many ways in which sleep apnea can be very dangerous. There is treatment available, but people have to know what to look for as far as symptoms go before they can get the help they need.
