What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea ? Signs and Symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
Obstructive sleep apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep. When the throat muscles relax, your airway narrows or closes as you breathe in. The apneas, which are periods of lapsed breathing may last anywhere between 5 to 20 seconds. This may lower the level of oxygen in your blood. Your brain senses this impaired breathing and briefly arouses you from sleep to reopen your airways.
You can awaken with a transient shortness of breath that corrects itself quickly, within one or two deep breaths. You may make a snorting, choking or gasping sound.
This pattern can repeat itself five to 30 times or more each hour, all night long. These disruptions impair your ability to reach the desired deep, restful phases of sleep, and you'll probably feel sleepy during your waking hours.
Several types of sleep apnea exist, but the most common type is obstructive sleep apnea, which occurs when your throat muscles intermittently relax and block your airway during sleep.
Signs and symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea include:
- Excessive daytime sleepiness
- Loud Snoring
- Observed episodes of breathing cessation during sleep
- Abrupt awakenings accompanied by shortness of breath
- Awakening with a dry mouth or sore throat
- Awakening with chest pain
- Morning headache
- Difficulty concentrating during the day
- Experiencing mood changes, such as depression or irritability
- Difficulty staying asleep (insomnia)
- Having high blood pressure