Also known as ‘deceiving sleep disorder’, sleep apnea refers to the condition of disrupted breathing while sleeping. Almost 90% of the people suffering from sleep apnea might not know that they have it. The major symptoms of sleep apnea take place when the patient stops breathing during sleep and inadequate amount of air reaches the lungs, which causes the oxygen level in the blood to fall and the patient to get up with a loud snore or a certain jerk gasping for air.

Sleep apnea increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, arrhythmias and more. In fact, there is as much as 30% higher risk of heart attack or premature death in people suffering from Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Researches made in 2008 have revealed that people suffering from OSA or Obstructive Sleep Apnea show tissue loss in the brain regions which help in storing memory.

Major symptoms

• Snoring is one of the most common signs of Obstructive Sleep Apnea. If you have loud and chronic snoring then you are likely to be affected by Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Pauses and gasping is often followed by snoring. Sleep apnea patients often fail to understand their problems in breathing because snoring or choking occurs, when they are likely to be asleep.
• Fighting sleepiness during the day when you are at work or while you are driving is another common sign of sleep apnea. Falling asleep when he is not active is very common in sleep apnea patients.
• Overweight and obesity are the two other common symptoms of sleep apnea.

Some other common of sleep apnea symptoms are:

• Morning headache
• Unable to concentrate
• Memory or learning problems
• Dry throat after waking up
• Frequent urination at night
• Frequent silences while sleeping because of breaks in breathing
• Awakening suddenly to restart breathing or waking up in a sweat
• Waking with not fresh feeling after sleep
• Heartburn or a sour taste in the mouth at night
• Swelling of the legs
• Having chest pain while sleeping
• Changing positions while sleeping

Sleep apnea symptoms in children

The signs and symptoms of sleep apnea may vary in children. Children may show hyperactivity, restless legs syndrome, unusual sleeping positions, aggressiveness, under-active thyroid and poor performance in school. Bed wetting, suddenly falling asleep and breathing through mouth instead of nose during the day are other symptoms of sleep apnea in children. However, the symptoms of sleep apnea in children depend on how old the child is:

Children who are younger than five years will have symptoms like

• Snoring
• Restless sweating
• Mouth breathing
• Frequent waking up

Children who are five years and older, the symptoms would include:

• Snoring
• Behavior problems
• Bed wetting, poor performance in school
• Short attention span

Though it is a rare symptom, sleep apnea in children may cause developmental delays and even failure of the right side of the heart.

If you think that any or all of the above symptoms of sleep apnea are present in you or someone whom you know, then you must consult your doctor immediately because can be completely cured if detected on time.