How Do I Know if I Have Sleep Apnea? A Top Doc Reveals 5 Surprising Symptoms
It turns out loud snoring isn't the only sign of the common sleep disorder
With everything you have on your plate, from work to homelife to more work, it makes sense that you’re waking up less than energized. But if you’re experiencing severe fatigue, it may be because of an increasingly common condition called sleep apnea, “a partial or complete blockage of your upper airway by your tongue, soft palate or uvula during sleep,” explains neurologist and sleep physician Brandon R. Peters, MD, author of The Sleep Apnea Hypothesis. This begs the question: How do I know if I have sleep apnea? Keep reading for the surprising clues — and simple ways to find relief.
How do I know if I have sleep apnea?
In more severe cases of the sleep disorder, you may awake overnight choking or gasping, or experiencing shortness of breath. But for most people, it takes a little sleep sleuthing to learn if you have the condition.
“When your airway is blocked, your brain stem will wake you up by triggering the release of the stress hormone cortisol,” says Dr. Peters. “But the arousal is so brief, you have no recollection of it. You need to be awake for at least five minutes to form a memory.”
Fortunately, you can outsmart such “nocturnal amnesia” by pinpointing a few symptoms of sleep apnea. While loud snoring is the most common sign, it doesn’t affect everyone with the condition, notes Dr. Peters. He explains that there isn’t always enough “turbulence” in the airway to produce the telltale rattle.
Sneaky sleep apnea symptoms
Here, Dr. Peters reveals a few under-the-radar symptoms people with sleep apnea may experience:
1. Morning headaches
“Oxygen levels in our blood drop by at least 3-4% when our airway is obstructed,” he says. Though this depletion is transient or fleeting, it can lead to an AM headache. “You may feel pain in the front of your head due to retaining an excess of carbon dioxide overnight.” The good news is this type of headache dissipates quickly. “As you breathe and take in oxygen in the morning, it will go away.”
A second common type of headache caused by sleep apnea radiates from the back of your head. “As the airway constricts, some people with the condition might grind their teeth, activating and tightening muscles in the back of their neck, causing pain,” he explains.
2. More frequent bathroom breaks
What does your airway have to do with your bladder? More than you may think! “When we retain higher levels of carbon dioxide because of a blocked airway, our blood becomes more acidic, forcing the kidneys [which produce urine] to work harder,” says Dr. Peters. In other words, if you find yourself waking up at night to hit the loo more often, it may be a sign of sleep apnea.
3. Sweating at night
Just when you thought hot flashes were the only cause of night sweats, here comes sleep apnea: The stimulating cortisol our brain stem releases to wake us up when our airway is blocked may lead to everything from perspiration to heart palpitations at night, says Dr. Peters.
4. Heartburn
“If your tongue temporarily blocks your throat, the resulting pressure change in your airway may draw the contents of your stomach up, causing heartburn,” Dr. Peters notes. He adds that it takes about two hours for the stomach to empty, so this potential symptom is more likely to affect you if you eat closer to bedtime.
5. Leg cramps
Waking up a little sore? Simply put, when your body is deprived of oxygen due to a blocked airway, muscles — often in extremities like your legs or feet — may tighten and develop cramps.
Getting tested for sleep apnea
The drop in oxygen levels that sleep apnea causes over the long-term may lead to health problems down the road, like high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke or heart disease, says Dr. Peters. Getting tested is the first step to warding off these medical conditions.
“A home sleep apnea test is a very simple device that you can arrange to use through your doctor,” he reveals of the doctor-prescribed test. “It measures nasal airflow, effort to breathe, oxygen levels and pulse rate.”
In some cases, your doctor may recommend a sleep study to better assess your sleep troubles. Once you’re diagnosed, your doctor may recommend a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine. “This pressurizes the air through a nasal mask to open up your airway and curb snoring,” confirms Dr. Peters.
He adds that an alternative treatment for people who don’t tolerate CPAP is an Inspire® implant, which delivers gentle electrical pulses to move your tongue and keep your airway open. Ahh, finally: the sweet, restorative sleep you deserve.
For more strategies to help you sleep better:
What Is ‘Meno-Somnia’? 5 Ways to Ease Your Symptoms
How Much REM Sleep Do You Need? And How to Get More of Nature’s Best Medicine
Tossing and Turning at Night? Ashwagandha Is an Ancient Herb That Deepens Sleep Naturally
This content is not a substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis. Always consult your physician before pursuing any treatment plan.
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