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  Sleep Apnea Symptoms May Not Always Be That Easy To IdentifySleep apnea is a very common sleep disorder which affects over twelve million Americans and is now as common as adult diabetes.The most common form of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea which, as the name implies, arises from an obstruction to the airways which produces difficulties with breathing. Additionally, there is another form of sleep apnea called central sleep apnea, in which the brain fails to control your breathing adequately during sleep. Finally, some people suffer from mixed sleep apnea, which is a mixture of obstructive and central forms of this sleep disorder. Sleep apnea symptoms may arise at any time and, although they are most commonly found in overweight men who are over the age of forty, they may be found in men and women of all ages and are increasingly being found nowadays in children. The most noticeable symptom of sleep apnea is snoring which is of course a difficult symptom to spot yourself and frequently has to be pointed out by a sleeping partner. There can be a number of causes for snoring and the presence of snoring is not in itself a sign that you have sleep apnea. It is the case however that the majority of will snore. The second most noticeable symptom of sleep apnea is excessive daytime tiredness. With sleep apnea you stop breathing regularly throughout the night and the body's natural reaction to this is to arouse you just sufficiently for you to begin breathing again, but not enough for you to be aware that you are being awakened. The result of this is that your sleep is continually interrupted and very light and you cannot get the deep sleep that your body needs in order to recharge its batteries. Consequently, over time, you find yourself becoming ever more tired during the day. If sleep apnea is left untreated its affects will start to become more and more evident and further symptoms will begin to appear. These may include headaches (particularly first thing in the morning), touchiness and sometimes depression. You could also find yourself starting to gain weight. One of the not quite so obvious symptoms of sleep apnea is a rise in blood pressure which can result in a variety of cardiovascular difficulties. This will be picked up if you are one of the increasing number of people who are now monitoring their blood pressure regularly at home but otherwise may not be seen until you have a routine physical exam at your physician's office. Yet another increasingly seen symptom is that of learning difficulties and problems with memory retention. Once again this is not something that is easy to spot yourself but friends and family could well notice that you are not as quick on the uptake as you once were. A few people with sleep apnea will experience a fall in sexual function and this could ultimately lead to impotency. As with a lot of conditions individual symptoms could well be a sign of almost anything. However, if you begin to see these symptoms alongside each onther then you should consider talking to your doctor and consider having yourself tested for sleep apnea. One word of caution. Testing for sleep apnea will often involve referral to a sleep specialist, preferably a specialist who is certified by the American Board of Sleep Medicine (ABSM), and may mean being subjected to overnight sleep testing either at home or in a sleep laboratory. Such testing will often cost more than $1,000 and you should check with your insurer before you commit yourself to a program of sleep apnea testing. Free Article Source: http://www.za77.org About The Author: Help-Me-To-Sleep.com offers information and advice on a range of different sleep disorders including sleep apnea and looks at sleep apnea treatment amongst other things. We also look in detail at finding a natural cure for insomnia |