5 Signs of Sleep Apnea
Contents
- Introduction
- 1. Loud Snoring
- 2. Painful Jaw and Teeth Problems
- 3. Waking up with a Dry Mouth
- 4. Waking up Tired or with a Headache
- 5. Waking up Gasping
Introduction
If you are having problems sleeping at night, the issues that you are experiencing may not be uncommon. Since many different factors affect your nightly rest, it is important to pinpoint the cause and correct it. From drinking too much-caffeinated tea or coffee late at night to holding onto stress over a difficult job assignment, these situations can temporarily affect the amount of sleep you get. However, there are times when these problems are not temporary but become chronic. You may need to pay close attention to what is going on with your body to understand how you are being affected. In particular, this is important if you are dealing with the signs and symptoms of sleep apnea. For those of you who need to know a little bit more about sleep apnea, here are 5 signs that you should review closely and compare them to the symptoms you are experiencing today.
1. Loud Snoring
Loud snoring is a common event that can happen in any home. In fact, your entire family can be disturbed by your snoring if the sound is loud enough to travel from one end of the hall to the next. Regardless, when you snore, it may be simply due to staying up late for long stretches at a time. Or, your bouts of snoring may be due to working so hard during the day that your body falls deeply into sleep at night.
In some cases, you may snore because of a severe cold, or you may have had one or more drinks too many. In either case, your snoring may be quite normal for that specific situation. On the other hand, when you are snoring all of the time, your case may be chronic. When this is the situation, you may be one of many people who suffer from sleep apnea. It is important that you follow up with a physician to identify the type of sleeping problems you are dealing with.
2. Painful Jaw and Teeth Problems
Another sign or symptom of a sleep apnea problem involves a certain amount of pain when you wake up in the morning hours. These issues normally stem from grinding your teeth together during the night. As a result, with the continuous actions of grinding your teeth together, you may begin to experience various types of teeth problems and a painful jaw. Normally, you are grinding your teeth, when the muscles are straining, and you are not getting enough air. This is also one of the primary signs of someone who has sleep apnea.
3. Waking up with a Dry Mouth
Because there are many different reasons to wake up with a dry mouth, you will need to make sure that you know the actual cause. A dry mouth is also a sign of someone sleeping with their mouth open. In particular, because you may be suffering a problem with sleep apnea, you might not be getting enough air into your lungs during the night.
4. Waking up Tired or with a Headache
If you are always waking up tired, you may not be getting a full night’s sleep. Even though you may go to bed early, your rest can easily be disturbed by your own loud snoring and other issues associated with sleep apnea. It is entirely possible that you did not get enough deep sleep in order for your body to rejuvenate itself properly. If this is the case, you may wake up with a severe headache and very tired.
5. Waking up Gasping
Some sleep apnea symptoms tend to be much more obvious than others. Therefore, you will often find these signs easier to identify. In these situations, you are more likely to wake up choking and gasping for air. Usually, when this occurs, you are not getting enough oxygen and are not able to breathe properly. To avoid these problems, it is very important that you seek professional medical help so that you can receive the appropriate medical treatment for your condition.
Sleep apnea is not something to ignore. It can deprive your body of much-needed oxygen and the rejuvenating sleep that it needs to be healthy. Call your doctor right away if you feel you might be suffering from the affects of sleep apnea.
