Symptoms of Sleep Apnea
Symptoms of sleep apnea can include snoring, cessation in breathing while asleep, and waking up abruptly gasping for breath. While awake, symptoms can include daytime drowsiness, morning headaches, feeling like you can nap at any time of the day, and trouble staying awake while driving or sitting down. If you suffer from any of these symptoms, you should consult a physician to be screened for sleep apnea or other sleep related disorders.
Risk factors of Sleep Apnea
Sleep Apnea can affect anyone, even children. However, there are certain factors that can increase your chances of having sleep apnea. These can include excess weight, a narrow airway, smoking or alcohol use, and nasal congestion. Your chances also increase as you get older.
How else does Sleep Apnea affect my life?
Sleep Apnea is considered a major medical condition and can cause additional medical issues such as high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, liver problems, stroke, metabolic syndrome and depression. In addition to these conditions, sleep apnea will affect your everyday life by causing daytime fatigue and lack of focus throughout the day due to the lack of deep sleep.
How do I get tested for Sleep Apnea?
If you believe you may have sleep apnea, talk to your primary physician about scheduling a sleep study. Obstructive Sleep Apnea is diagnosed by a sleep study called a Polysomnograph (PSG), which is usually performed in a sleep center. There are also home sleep study tests available. Once you have this study done, your doctor can evaluate the results and determine if you suffer from sleep apnea, and if so, how severe it is. Your doctor will then discuss treatment options which may include C-PAP or Oral Appliance Therapy.