Sleep Apnea Symptoms Can Be Difficult To Recognize
Author: Donald Saunders
Category: Health
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The symptoms of sleep apnea are most often seen in men overweight men above the age of forty but they can appear at any time in both men and women and are now being seen increasingly in children.
Sleep apnea's most obvious symptom is snoring which is difficult to spot by yourself and usually has to be pointed out to you by a sleeping partner. There are however many reasons for snoring and the fact that you snore does not itself mean that you are suffering from sleep apnea. However, most sleep apnea sufferers do snore.
The second clear symptom of sleep apnea is undue tiredness during the day. People who suffer from sleep apnea stop breathing frequentlywhile sleeping and the body's defense against this is to awaken you enough for you to start breathing again, but not to waken you enough for you to be aware that you are being awakened. This of course means that your sleep is constantly interrupted and thus very light so that you are not getting the deep sleep that your body needs. As a result you grow increasingly tired during the day.
If left untreated the effects of sleep apnea start to appear and you will begin to experience additional symptoms that might include headaches (particularly first thing in the morning), irritability and even depression. You might also notice that you are starting to put on weight.
A further not quite so obvious sign of sleep apnea is a rise in blood pressure that can give rise to several cardiovascular difficulties. should you be one of the growing number of people who are now monitoring their own blood pressure at home then you should detect this quite easily but, it not, it will not be found until you visit the doctor's office for a routine physical examination.
Another symptom is that of growing difficulties with memory retention and learning difficulties. Once again this is not something which is easy for you to notice yourself but others around you may well notice that you are no longer as fast on the uptake as you used to be.
Lastly, some sleep apnea sufferers will experience a decline in sexual function that can eventually lead to impotency.
Any of these symptoms by themselves can of course point to just about any problem you can think of. If you begin to notice these symptoms appearing together however then there is a good chance that you are suffering from sleep apnea and you ought to talk to your physician and consider having a sleep apnea test.
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Keywords: sleep apnea, sleep apnia, sleep disorders, sleeping problems, sleep, health, wellness, fitness
View Count: 47
Date Submitted: 8/19/2008
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