Some of the signs of sleep apnea

Several times over the years, we have talked about sleep and how the quality of good sleep has a lot to do with our overall well-being, optimal productivity at work and feelings of happiness.

We have also examined how poor sleep quality negatively impacts health with the threat of excessive weight gain, heart disease, hypertension, stroke and diabetes. Such sleep disruption is a major reason why so many workers who run night shifts tend to have a disproportionate representation among these disease conditions. Sleep engenders rest for our brain and heart not to mention other important organ systems that benefit from such rest.

More importantly, it is necessary to appreciate the fact that when there is poor quality of sleep caused by sleep apnea and snoring, there may be important features which can indicate the presence of that abnormal condition.

Sleep apnea is said to occur when there is an interruption in the breathing pattern during sleep thereby causing the person involved to wake up. Some people have different gears that they shift in the course of a single night such that the kind of snoring they engage in varies in pitch and melody.
However, it is a serious problem that is probably not sufficiently diagnosed and there are certain tell-tale signs of the presence of the condition.

We shall be examining some of these features in the following paragraphs and emphasising why they are not unique enough to make a diagnosis of apnea an easy exercise.

One of these features is something we mentioned above before – that is snoring. People who snore often have associated sleep apnea, and it is in fact described as one of the true hallmarks of the presence of sleep apnea.
It can be loud as we described in the paragraph above with different pitches, and it can also be almost silent or even inaudible as is often seen in women. In such women, any pattern of snoring is associated with apnea.

The same is true of people who have undergone surgery to control their snoring problem.

People like that may no longer snore but apnea may be present. Therefore, sleeping poorly does not only negatively affect our mood and make us cranky, but it can also affect our memory.

In addition, it can lead to irritability and an inability to concentrate on simple tasks, let alone more complex ones. This may result in a downward spiral that ultimately undermines both productivity and social interactions.

In some individuals, there is a noticeable pause in the normal sleeping pattern. Such experiences, which resemble breathing interruptions or breath-holding, leave these individuals gasping for air in the middle of the night, indicating the presence of sleep apnea. This can sometimes escalate further when a person who snores loudly suddenly becomes quiet—not due to a change in position but because their breathing has stopped abruptly, often for varying intervals.

Lots of research has concluded that the incidence of morning headaches is closely associated with the presence of sleep apnea.

It is described as a common feature of sleep apnea and researchers are not sure why.
However, in an important study, a group of volunteers who were afforded the option of some measure of assisted respiration owned up to a certain improvement in their symptoms and a marked reduction in the severity and frequency of morning headaches.

The same is true of having some degree of fatigue in the course of the day. Therefore, if any individual feels constantly exhausted or begins to find it to be a real struggle to stay awake in the daytime either at work or while driving, it is a sign that sleep apnea may be to blame.
This is a dangerous position to be in because some people could then fall asleep suddenly at a time and place that they do not expect, which could result in accidents either on the road or in a factory while operating machinery.

This is ultimately an unsafe condition for a machinery operator to be in and it is important to be especially aware of this limitation so that necessary action can be implemented in the interest of both personal and public safety.

In this circumstance, it is wise not to assume that the exhausted-looking individual standing or sitting before you is suffering from excess alcohol intake but from inadequate sleep caused by apnea.

The other common feature of this condition is insomnia, which is a condition in which the sufferer is unable to fall asleep or stay asleep, particularly at night.

This can be a very trying experience for the people concerned as they often then become so aware of the ability of others to enjoy what eludes them and also how long the night can be.
As for the people who sleep restlessly, such that they often enter a new day feeling as though they have not rested enough, improvement in their condition is not brought about by the use of sleeping pills which many doctors often prescribe, but by the diligent search for the reason why they are different.

Often, many are found to be suffering from sleep apnea. This is all because in many circumstances, people who are found in this category of sleepers do not get to have the root causes of their condition properly addressed.

They are usually offered medications that seem only to manage the symptoms of their problems. The same is true of people who wake up quite frequently at night to pass urine.

In many cases, elderly men who have this problem often have their doctors blaming their enlarged prostates. In women, similar problems are blamed on frequent or multiple childbirths.

Evidence is emerging that points to the likelihood that many of these individuals may be suffering from sleep apnea. In this particular paragraph, it can be appreciated that these features can be found in other conditions.

In one of the most remarkable features of human responses to stimuli, it is noteworthy that the abnormal pattern of breathing associated with sleep apnea can activate the sympathetic nervous system in such a way that the body becomes primed for the flight or fight response.

We have discussed this coping mechanism of the body before on this page and when that response is induced, there is a massive release of adrenaline and noradrenaline that places the individual on an aggressive footing.
This combination of events serves to generate an increase in body temperature and lead to night sweats.

Similarly, it is believed that when the brain is being woken up frequently at various stages of sleep, abnormal behaviour can be the result, such that some people may begin to clench their teeth and even grind them together.

This is not a voluntary act and such people could wake up in the morning with painful gums or an ache in the jaw.  When such people present to the consulting room with such complaints, it is absolutely useful to also consider the possibility of sleep apnea being a contributing factor.

Lastly, people who have sleep apnea are more likely to also have acid reflux. It is believed that the escape of the acid contents of the stomach can, therefore, cause heartburn due to the direct effects of the acidic contents on the mucus lining of the lower part of the gullet.  This situation can result whether the person is asleep during the day or at night.