Sleep Apnea FAQ: What Are the Most Common Signs?

The 10 most common signs

1. Loud, chronic snoring

The most familiar sign. Not everyone who snores has sleep apnea, but most people with obstructive sleep apnea snore.

2. Witnessed pauses in breathing

A partner notices the snoring stop, a silence, then a snort or gasp as breathing restarts. This is one of the strongest signs.

3. Waking up exhausted, no matter how long you sleep

Each pause pulls you out of deep sleep. You may sleep eight hours and feel like you slept four.

4. Excessive daytime sleepiness

Dozing off while reading, watching TV, in meetings, or worst of all, while driving.

5. Morning headaches

Low oxygen and high carbon dioxide during the night can leave you with a headache that fades as the morning goes on.

6. Dry mouth or sore throat on waking

A sign you’ve been breathing through your mouth, often because the airway is narrowed.

7. Waking up to urinate

Getting up more than once a night to use the bathroom (nocturia) is linked to sleep apnea, because the strain on the heart triggers hormone changes that make more urine.

8. Trouble concentrating, memory lapses and mood changes

Broken sleep affects focus, memory, patience and mood.

9. High blood pressure, especially if it’s hard to control

Sleep apnea is a common cause of blood pressure that doesn’t come down with medication.

10. Acid reflux at night

The pressure changes from straining to breathe against a closed airway can pull stomach acid upward.

Quick reference

• At night: snoring, pauses, gasping or choking, restless sleep, getting up to urinate, reflux
• In the morning: headaches, dry mouth, waking unrefreshed
• During the day: sleepiness, poor focus, irritability, high blood pressure

Sleep apnea looks different in women

Women are more likely to notice insomnia, fatigue, morning headaches and low mood, and less likely to have loud snoring. Why sleep apnea is underdiagnosed in women.

You recognize some of these. What now?

1. Take the two-minute sleep quiz to see your STOP-Bang score.
2. Get a sleep test. A home sleep test is one night in your own bed, read by a sleep physician.
3. Talk through treatment. For many people, a custom oral appliance is a comfortable alternative to CPAP.

In the Wichita area, Dr. Sheri Love at Love Sleep can order your test and walk you through the results. Request a consultation or call 316-440-9700.