Sleep apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder that causes you to temporarily stop breathing while you sleep, multiple times a night. The most common type of sleep apnea — obstructive sleep apnea — happens when excess tissue blocks your airway.
To compound matters, an estimated 90% of people with sleep apnea don’t even know they have it. Untreated sleep apnea can wreak havoc on your health, so it’s important to know how to spot the signs.
If you suspect that you have sleep apnea, don’t hesitate to visit Memorial Village Sinus and Hearing, where Conrad Kyle McCutcheon, MD, FACS, treats obstructive sleep apnea with somnoplasty. Here are the top nine signs of sleep apnea and what you can do about it.
It’s one thing to snore occasionally — allergies or the common cold can contribute to snoring — but it’s another thing altogether to snore intensely every night. Some people with sleep apnea snore so loudly that they even wake themselves up!
The word “apnea” comes from the Greek word apnos which means “without breathing.” With sleep apnea, you have several pauses in your breathing, which can make you gasp for air. Mild sleep apnea can cause 5-15 sleep apneas per hour, while severe sleep apnea can cause 30 or more apneas per hour.
A morning headache is par for the course when you have sleep apnea. The interrupted sleep, lack of oxygen caused by apneas, and blood vessel dilation can contribute to waking up with a headache.
Snoring all night can leave your throat dry and scratchy. If you keep waking up with a dry or sore throat — in the absence of a viral or bacterial infection — it could be a red flag for sleep apnea.
This one shouldn’t come as a surprise, but unfortunately, it’s the sign of sleep apnea that can take a huge toll on your quality of life. When you don’t get enough sleep, you’re more likely to feel tired throughout the day. Not only is this inconvenient, but it could create dangerous situations if you drive or operate heavy machinery.
Lack of sleep can also limit your ability to make decisions, think clearly, or concentrate on the task at hand. While brain fog is a symptom of many other conditions, including thyroid issues, it’s worth noting this symptom.
Feeling irritable? Again, this symptom can be related to other conditions, such as menopause or andropause, but it’s also common with sleep apnea. You can thank your interrupted sleep for that.
At first glance, this may not seem like a sleep apnea symptom, but it’s a common one. Waking up to use the bathroom, called notecuria, happens to about 50% of people with sleep apnea.
If you’re putting on pounds but haven’t changed your diet or exercise routine, you could have sleep apnea. Lack of quality sleep can affect how your body uses insulin. If your body isn’t as sensitive to insulin, it can increase your risk of diabetes and weight gain.
Untreated sleep apnea can increase your risk of serious complications, such as heart disease, heart attacks, hypertension, and stroke. If you spot any of these symptoms, it’s better to get checked out.
If your symptoms are related to sleep apnea, Dr. McCutcheon may recommend somnoplasty.
Somnoplasty is a minimally invasive procedure that uses low-power radiofrequency energy to shrink excess tissue in your throat or nasal passages. This procedure addresses obstruction — the root cause of snoring and mild to moderate sleep apnea — without the need for intensive surgical interventions like uvulopalatopharyngoplasty.
By reducing blockages in the airway, somnoplasty helps improve your breathing during sleep and reduces the risk of complications from untreated sleep apnea. The procedure takes about 30 minutes and only requires local anesthesia.
Don’t let obstructive sleep apnea sabotage your health. Call Memorial Village Sinus and Hearing in Houston, Texas, at 281-822-3777 to learn more about somnoplasty. You can also request an appointment online.
