Symptoms of Sleep Apnea

What are the symptoms of sleep apnea?

There are many symptoms related to sleep apnea. The 3 most common symptoms that are reported are snoring, excessive daytime somnolence (EDS) and witnessed apneas. Many times the snoring is very loud, disruptive to others, and may end in a snort. EDS is feeling more sleepy during the day than you should feel. Witnessed apneas are times when someone has seen you stop breathing while sleeping.

There are many other symptoms that people with sleep apnea suffer from. These include memory and attention problems, problems with depressed mood, irritability, restless sleep, awakening unrefreshed, having morning headaches, awakening with a dry mouth. Many people also kick their legs during an arousal related to sleep apnea.

If you have these symptoms mean you definitely have OSA? Not necessarily. There are many other disorders that have overlap with these symptoms. Sleep studies are required to make the correct diagnosis. There are also many people who have sleep apnea and other medical problems which contribute to these symptoms.