Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea symptoms consist of persistent loud snoring at night and daytime sleepiness. Another symptom is frequent long pauses in breathing during sleep, followed by choking, gasping or shortness of breath.

Sleep apnea, sleep-disordered breathing, is a serious and common sleep disorder affecting about 12 million Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health. Its name comes from a Greek word, apnea, meaning "without breath." People with sleep apnea stop breathing briefly many times during the night. The breathing pauses last at least 10 seconds, and there may be 20 to 30 or more pauses per hour. 

People with sleep apnea don't get enough restful sleep, and their daytime performance is often seriously affected. Sleep apnea may also lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. However, it can be diagnosed and treated. 

Symptoms of obstructive and central sleep apnea overlap, sometimes making the type of sleep apnea more difficult to determine. 

Symptoms of obstructive and central sleep apnea include:

• Observed episodes of breathing cessation during sleep 
• Excessive daytime sleepiness (hypersomnia) 
• Loud snoring 
• Abrupt awakenings with shortness of breath 
• Awakening with a dry mouth or sore throat 
• Morning headache 
  

Disruptive snoring may be a more prominent characteristic of obstructive sleep apnea, while awakening with shortness of breath may be more common with central sleep apnea.

Many people don't think of snoring as a sign of something potentially serious, and not everyone who has sleep apnea snores. But be sure to talk to your doctor if you experience loud snoring, especially snoring that's punctuated by periods of silence. With sleep apnea, snoring typically is loudest when you sleep on your back, and it quiets when you turn on your side.

Sleep Apnea Symptoms to S