Sleep Apnea Symptoms Are Not Always Easy To Spot

The symptoms of sleep apnea are most frequently observed in men over the age of forty who are overweight although they can appear at any age in both men and women and are now being seen more and more in children.

Sleep apnea's most obvious symptom is snoring which is difficult to spot by yourself and often has to be pointed out to you by a sleeping partner. However, there are many reasons for snoring and the fact that you snore is not in itself an indication that you are suffering from sleep apnea. It is a fact however that most sleep apnea sufferers snore.

The second most obvious symptom of sleep apnea is excessive tiredness during the day. People who suffer from sleep apnea stop breathing frequentlyduring sleep and the body's defense against this is to awaken you sufficiently for you to begin breathing again, but not to waken you enough for you to be aware that you are being awakened. This means that your sleep is constantly interrupted and therefore very light so that you are not enjoying the deep sleep that your body needs. The result of this is that you grow increasingly tired during the day.

If left untreated the effects of sleep apnea begin to appear and you will start to experience further symptoms that may include headaches (particularly first thing in the morning), bad temper and depression. You may also notice that you are beginning to gain weight.

A further not quite so obvious symptom of sleep apnea is a rise in blood pressure that can lead to a number of cardiovascular difficulties. If you are one of the growing number of people who are starting to monitor their blood pressure at home then you will detect this quite easily but, it not, it will not be found unless you attend your doctor to have a routine physical examination.

Another symptom is that of learning difficulties and increasing difficulties with memory retention. This is once again not something which it is easy for you to notice yourself but others around you may notice that you are not as fast on the uptake as you once were.

Lastly, a number of sufferers from sleep apnea will notice a drop in sexual function that can eventually result in impotency.

Each of these symptoms in isolation could ne indicative of just about any problem you can think of. When you start to notice these symptoms appearing alongside one another however then there is a good chance that you are suffering from sleep apnea and you need to talk to your physician and consider taking a test for sleep apnea.