Symptoms That Mean You May Have Sleep Apnea and Should Get Screened

This common sleep disorder is caused by a relaxation of the upper airway muscles, mostly the tongue, leading to repetitive stoppages of breathing during the night, which interrupts the sleep cycle and typically prevents a person from getting a good night’s sleep.

The condition often goes undiagnosed because many of the symptoms that would clue you in that there’s a problem — such as snoring, breathing pauses, and gasping for air — occur during sleep. Those breathing pauses wake you up temporarily, but usually not enough for you to pull yourself out of sleep completely or remember being awake. That means a lot of individuals with sleep apnea may not have any idea the next day that they experienced breathing difficulties during the night.

“Some estimates say sleep apnea probably affects one-quarter of middle-aged men,” says Ronald Chervin, MD, professor of sleep medicine and neurology and division chief of the Sleep Disorders Centers at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Here are the symptoms you and your bed partner should be on the lookout for in each other during the night, as well as symptoms people with sleep apnea may experience during the day.

• Habitual snoring that may be loud enough to be heard outside the room soon after you fall asleep (though snoring doesn’t necessarily always mean someone has sleep apnea, and not everyone who has sleep apnea snores)
• Breathing that stops for 10 seconds or more, followed by snorting and gasping for air; in some cases this pattern can repeat 30 times or more in an hour

• Having a dry mouth in the morning when you wake up
• Morning headache
• Extreme sleepiness and fatigue during the day
• Irritability
• Waking up feeling tired despite sleeping seven or more hours — the minimum number of hours of sleep recommended for adults by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM)

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• Problems with memory, attention, and concentration, per MedlinePlus

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• Decreased libido or sexual dysfunction
• Depression
• Hyperactivity (particularly common in children with sleep apnea)

• Shortness of breath
• Problems swallowing
• Weakness or numbness in your body
• Changes in your voice

Sleep apnea symptoms can be similar to symptoms of lots of other medical conditions, or may be ignored and chalked up to things like work stress, having a busy schedule, or having a lot going on with the family. But doctors urge people not to overlook or disregard symptoms.

If it’s not sleep apnea, your doctor may be able to help correctly diagnose another medical problem if there is one — or help you find ways to deal with stressors in your life that cause you to feel the way you do.

And if it is sleep apnea, your doctor can help you diagnose the problem and get treatment before the condition starts causing complications — and before the sleepiness and fatigue associated with sleep apnea lead to an accident that could harm you or others.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) does not recommend screening for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in asymptomatic adults, citing insufficient evidence to do so — although the organization notes that it is a fully independent group and its recommendations do not reflect any type of official U.S. government guidelines.

Whether or not you have a job that can affect public safety, doctors say there are clear benefits to seeing your doctor to rule out sleep apnea if you suspect you may have symptoms. And even if you aren’t sure if you have any symptoms, you may want to speak to your doctor about being screened for sleep apnea if one or more of these categories apply to you.

• Obesity People who are overweight are at greater risk of having OSA. “When you gain weight, the lateral fat pads in the throat leave less room to breathe,” Dr. Chervin says. During sleep, the relaxation of the muscles and soft tissue in the throat make the throat even narrower, making it more difficult to get enough air.
• Family History of Sleep Apnea Researchers have found evidence that having a family history of sleep apnea can increase your risk for the condition. Studies have shown that sleep apnea may be hereditary, and that traits that affect sleep apnea such as face and skull shape or how the brain controls breathing during sleep, as well as genes that may be associated with obesity and inflammation, may run in families.
• Medical Condition or Illness That Raises Your Risk of Developing Sleep Apnea Conditions such as asthma, congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and stroke all increase your risk of sleep apnea.
• Unhealthy Habits Harmful habits like smoking and eating an unhealthy diet can put you at greater risk for sleep apnea. Smoking can not only cause inflammation in your airways, which can affect your breathing, but it can also have a negative effect on how your brain communicates with your body during sleep and how well it controls your breathing. An unhealthy diet can lead to obesity, which is a leading risk for OSA.
• Alcohol Consumption Alcohol can increase relaxation of the muscles in the mouth and throat, causing the upper airway to become narrow or close. It can also affect how the brain controls sleep or the muscles involved in breathing during sleep.
• Use of Medications Like Opioids Medications like benzodiazepines and opioids can affect how well the brain regulates breathing and increase the risk of sleep apnea. Research has shown that opioids may reduce airway muscle activation and increase risk for OSA.

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In addition to talking to your doctor, one simple screening tool, the STOP-Bang Questionnaire, is an eight-question checklist that can help you evaluate your risk for sleep apnea.