Symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

This information was reviewed and approved by Sheila Tsai, MD (3/1/2017).

In obstructive sleep apnea, the airway narrows or closes during sleep. This can lead to loud snoring and pauses in breathing.

These pauses in breathing can occur hundreds of times a night in severe cases. Many people with OSA are not aware that they have a sleep disorder, because they do not report daytime sleepiness or are not aware of snoring or pauses in breathing during sleep. Many times it is a family member or bed partner that notices these symptoms.

The frequent interruptions of restorative sleep caused by OSA can result in unrestful sleep, excessive daytime sleepiness and, in some cases, early morning headaches. Left untreated, OSA may lead to serious medical problems. These include heart attack, high blood pressure and stroke.

Transcript

While some snoring can be normal or may just be a bothersome sound, snoring is a common sign of a more serious health condition such as obstructive sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea means abnormal pauses in the breathing when somebody is sleeping.

Other symptoms to look for other than loud disruptive snoring include the person being very restless when they sleep, gasping awake or struggling to breathe as they're sleeping.

Untreated obstructive sleep apnea can have serious health consequences.

You should see a doctor about your snoring if it is very loud and disruptive to the bed partner, particularly if it's associated with other symptoms such as excessive daytime sleepiness or if you have coexisting medical conditions that can be impacted by sleep apnea such as hypertension, depression and insomnia.

Children with OSA, on the other hand, may become hyperactive, rather than sleepy, during the day. This can cause problems with their performance at school.

Like people with obstructive sleep apnea, those with central sleep apnea may also sleep poorly and be sleepy during the day.

The symptoms below can indicate many sleep disorders. If you experience one or more of these symptoms, discuss your sleeping problems or concerns with your health care provider:

Hypertension, or high blood pressure
Excessive sleepiness or fatigue during the day
Difficulty sleeping, including trouble falling asleep, waking frequently during the night, waking too early and not being able to fall back asleep or waking unrefreshed
Loud snoring
Pauses in breathing or gasping for breath during sleep, as reported by others
Difficulty concentrating or memory problems
Irritability or depression
Morning headaches

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