Whether you sleep by yourself or with a partner, it can be hard to notice the signs of sleep apnea. That’s because so many of the symptoms — snoring, breathing pauses, gasping for air — occur during sleep.
Here’s the catch: Sleep apnea is a fairly common condition and may affect an estimated 83 million people.
Left untreated, the condition can not only cause a poor night’s sleep, but also contribute to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and chronic kidney disease.
That’s why it’s so important to get screened for sleep apnea if you have signs or symptoms. Here are a few to be aware of if you think you have the condition.
Because sleep apnea is caused by a relaxation of the upper airway muscles, it causes repetitive stoppages of breathing. Those pauses in breathing (sometimes for 10 seconds or more) wake you up temporarily, but they usually aren’t enough to wake you up completely. Instead, they result in:
- Gasping for air or snorting
- Habitual snoring (sometimes loud enough to be heard from the next room)
Other warning signs of sleep apnea you may see include:
- Dry mouth in the morning when you wake up
- Morning headache
- Extreme sleepiness and fatigue during the day
- Irritability
- Feeling tired despite sleeping seven or more hours
- Problems with attention, concentration, and memory.
- Decreased libido or sexual dysfunction
- Depression
- Hyperactivity (particularly common in children with sleep apnea)
Symptoms that are more typical of central sleep apnea (a less-common type of sleep apnea), include:
- Shortness of breath
- Problems swallowing
- Weakness or numbness in your body
- Changes in your voice (hoarseness)
It’s easy to chalk up the symptoms of sleep apnea to a bad night’s sleep or too much stress — or maybe even as a sign of another medical condition. But doctors urge people to use more caution.
If sleep apnea isn’t treated, the condition could not only cause long-term complications, but also lead to an accident that could harm you (or others) in the short term.
“When sleep apnea is untreated, an individual has a 2.5 times increased risk of having a motor vehicle accident,” says
James Rowley, MD, program director of the sleep medicine fellowship at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s board of directors. “It’s the equivalent of driving drunk.”
Some people are more likely to develop sleep apnea. So even if you aren’t experiencing many — or any — symptoms, it could be worth talking to your doctor about your risk for the condition. Here are a few factors that can increase your risk:
- Obesity People who are overweight are more likely to develop a type of sleep apnea called obstructive sleep apnea. “When you gain weight, the lateral fat pads in the throat leave less room to breathe,” says Ronald Chervin, MD, a professor of sleep medicine and neurology and the director of the sleep disorders section at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor. During sleep, the relaxation of muscles and soft tissue narrows the throat, making it more difficult to get enough air.
- Family History of Sleep Apnea Researchers have found evidence that having a family history of sleep apnea can increase your risk for the condition. Studies have shown that sleep apnea may be hereditary, and traits that affect sleep apnea — face and skull shape, how the brain controls breathing during sleep, genes that may be associated with obesity and inflammation — may run in families.
- Another Medical Condition or Illness Conditions such as asthma, congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, stroke, and type 2 diabetes all increase your risk of sleep apnea.
- Unhealthy Habits Habits such as smoking and eating an unhealthy diet can put you at greater risk for sleep apnea. Smoking can not only cause inflammation in your airways, which can affect your breathing, but also have a negative effect on how well your brain communicates with your body during sleep and controls your breathing. An unhealthy diet can lead to obesity, which is a leading risk of obstructive sleep apnea.
- Alcohol Consumption Alcohol can relax the muscles in the mouth and throat, causing the upper airway to narrow. It can also affect how the brain controls sleep, as well as the muscles involved in breathing during sleep.
- Use of Certain Medications Medications such as benzodiazepines and opioids can affect how well the brain regulates breathing and increase the risk of sleep apnea. Research has shown that opioids may reduce the activation of the airway muscle and increase the risk of obstructive sleep apnea.
In addition to talking to your doctor, you can help evaluate your risk for sleep apnea by using a simple eight-question screening tool from the University of Toronto called the STOP-Bang Questionnaire.
