You May Be Missing These 5 Major Warning Signs of Sleep Apnea Without Realizing

If you snore, you may be aware of it. It happens because your partner has already pushed you in the middle of the night, asking you to roll over or adjust your pillows, or maybe you have woken yourself up from the noise.

It’s frustrating to keep waking up at night, but you also have to believe in caution. Snoring affects 94% of people with sleep apnea. If left untreated, sleep apnea can lead to more trips to the hospital as you get older and increase your risk of lung cancer and lung cancer recurrence.

There are a few different types of sleep apnea: obstructive, moderate and mixed, said Joseph Dzierzewski, vice president of research and scientific affairs at the National Sleep Foundation. “Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) means that something is interfering with normal breathing that occurs while you sleep, similar to a pinch in the windpipe. Central sleep apnea (CSA) is a symptom of persistent breathing from your brain that has stopped without being blocked. Combined sleep apnea combines both of these.”

Snoring is a major symptom of sleep apnea, but it’s not the only one. Read on for early signs of sleep apnea, especially if you don’t snore or sleep alone.

You get up often to use the bathroom.

“This does not mean getting up once to go to the bathroom, which many adults do when they enter middle life,” said Dr. Kin Yuen, a sleep medicine specialist at the University of California San Francisco and a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. “This means getting up to use the bathroom two to five times a night.”

Here’s why it matters: Yuen explained that the kidneys don’t produce as much urine in the first half of the night. What is happening is that the breath worked as a breath is making the chest cavity work more than before. “One way is for the brain to reduce the amount of stress,” Yuen said. Urine is one of these ways, as is sweating ― more on that below.

You sweat at night.

Night sweats affect 30% of adults with OSA, according to research. “The idea is that to save the body from these repeated attacks from lack of breath and low oxygen, the brain has to have some way to get the body out of the jam,” said Yuen. “In addition to urinating, another way is to wake us up suddenly through sweating.”

It can be difficult to pinpoint why you sweat, especially if you are a perimenopausal or menopausal woman. Pay attention to the frequency of your night sweats in combination with the other symptoms mentioned here.

Waking up with a headache.

Morning headaches are often associated with OSA; according to research in JAMA Internal Medicine, they can last up to 30 minutes.

“The episodes of OSA cause a drop in oxygen at night, so the body moves all the oxygen to the center of the brain,” said Yuen. “The blood vessels around the outside of the brain or the blood vessels in another area are narrowed until the person wakes up. Dilation and dilation of blood vessels can cause headaches when you wake up in the morning. “

You have trouble sitting or sleeping.

Dzierzewski explained, “There is a strong relationship between sleep apnea and insomnia.

Even if you sleep easily, you may be experiencing microarousals that cause brain fog, fatigue, irritability, and difficulty concentrating, according to Yuen.

“You may still be getting the same amount of sleep that someone with insomnia is getting, but you’re not progressing through all the stages of sleep,” Dzierzewski said. “It’s not a good, high-quality restorative sleep.”

You wake up with a dry mouth.

People with OSA often sleep with their mouths open to help increase oxygen flow. Yuen said if you wake up with a lumpy feeling in your throat, it could be from snoring or mouth breathing from sleep. This can be a useful symptom to notice if you are sleeping alone and no one is telling you that you are breathing, stop breathing or snore in your sleep.

What to do if you experience the first warning signs:

Many of these symptoms can occur for a number of reasons, but Dzierzewski said that it is important to have sleep habits, such as keeping alcohol available, avoiding alcohol and nicotine before they happen, and making a plan for the last night. If these symptoms persist with a healthy lifestyle and sleep habits, it’s a good idea to see a sleep specialist.

“If it’s been about a month and there are no serious life problems, mental disorders, or health issues, these symptoms can indicate sleep disorders,” said Yuen. “Also, pay attention to how you feel the next day in different sleeping positions. If you sleep on your back and feel foggy and tired compared to the night you sleep on your side, this could be a sign of respiratory problems.”

It’s important to know about your personal risk factors, too. Men and women who are overweight are at greater risk, especially if that weight is concentrated in the neck or chest. Dzierzewski said men tend to show higher rates of sleep apnea, while Yuen noted that some hormonal disorders such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) can increase the risk for women because of weight. Other risk factors include dental or jaw problems (Yuen said a dentist can diagnose this) and people who suffer from acid reflux.

Finally, “if you are pregnant and experience any of these symptoms (including snoring in the first trimester) talk to your health care provider immediately,” Yuen said. It is important to treat sleep apnea during pregnancy to prevent other diseases later on for both mother and child.”This story first came out HuffPost.