Symptoms of sleep apnea

Many people with sleep apnea do not know they have it, because the problems happen during sleep. A bed partner or family member often notices first.

Night-time symptoms

• Loud, frequent snoring, often with pauses followed by gasping, snorting or choking.
• Witnessed pauses in breathing during sleep.
• Restless sleep and frequent waking, sometimes with a sense of choking.
• Waking with a dry mouth or sore throat.
• Needing to urinate often at night (nocturia).
• Night sweats.
• Waking with a pounding heart or breathlessness.

Daytime symptoms

• Excessive sleepiness, including dozing off while watching TV, reading, in meetings or while driving.
• Morning headaches.
• Poor concentration, memory problems and irritability.
• Low mood or depression.
• Reduced sex drive.
• Feeling unrefreshed despite a full night in bed.

In children Snoring, mouth breathing, restless sleep, bedwetting, hyperactivity, poor school performance and behaviour problems. Enlarged tonsils or adenoids are a common cause.

Who is at higher risk Overweight people, people with high blood pressure, diabetes or heart disease, and those who snore loudly.

When to see a doctor See a doctor if you snore loudly and feel sleepy in the day, if breathing pauses are witnessed, or if you have high blood pressure that is hard to control. A sleep study confirms the diagnosis.

Emergency note Do not drive when drowsy. Seek urgent care for chest pain, severe breathlessness, or fainting.

Ayurvedic view (interpretive) Loud snoring, heaviness, sleepiness and lethargy are described with Kapha imbalance. This matches the symptoms but does not replace a sleep test.

Remember Loud snoring with daytime sleepiness is a warning sign, not just a nuisance.