Sleep apnea is a type of sleep disorder in which your breathing stops and restarts many times during sleep. This can stop your body from getting enough oxygen and limit the amount of high quality sleep you get.
There are two main types of sleep apnea. The first is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which occurs when your upper airway becomes blocked, reducing or stopping airflow during sleep. The second is central sleep apnea, which occurs when your brain can’t send signals that your body needs to breathe properly during sleep.
If you believe you may have sleep apnea, talk with your doctor about getting tested and the next steps. If you receive a diagnosis of sleep apnea, it’s essential to follow your treatment plan. Without treatment, the condition can have serious complications and can affect your physical and emotional well-being.
Read on to learn to learn more about the signs and symptoms of this condition.
1. Breathing that starts and stops
Sleep apnea involves breathing that starts and stops multiple times during sleep.
Sleep experts use the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) or other tools to measure the severity of sleep apnea. Mild OSA involves 5 to 15 sleep apnea events per hour during sleep. Moderate OSA involves 15 to 30 events per hour, and severe OSA involves more than 30 events per hour.
If you have sleep apnea, you might also gasp for air or make choking noises during sleep. You might not realize this is happening unless your partner notices and informs you.
With sleep apnea, you may often have loud, frequent, or disruptive snoring.
A 2022 review analyzed 13 studies that examined links between snoring and OSA. It found a strong relationship between snoring severity and sleep apnea severity. People who snored more often or had more intense snoring tended to have more severe sleep apnea.
3. Excessive daytime sleepiness
Excessive daytime sleepiness is one of the most common symptoms of OSA. It can occur even when you get the recommended amount of sleep. This is because the quality of sleep is important, and sleep apnea or other health conditions can affect your sleep quality.
In a 2022 study involving 5,464 people with OSA, 43% reported experiencing excessive sleepiness. Participants were more likely to have excessive sleepiness if they had severe sleep apnea.
Someone with excessive daytime sleepiness may:
- feel very tired during the day
- have difficulty staying awake during the day
- fall asleep accidentally during the day
Excessive daytime sleepiness can significantly affect your mood, thinking, and overall daily functions. It raises the risk of mistakes and incidents, including car accidents.
Sleep apnea may also cause fatigue, which is different from excessive daytime sleepiness.
With fatigue, you may feel a lack of energy that makes it harder to do physical activities. You may also experience mental fatigue, which can negatively affect concentration and memory. You generally may not fall asleep accidentally or have difficulty staying awake during the day.
In that same 2022 study, 39% of people with OSA experienced fatigue.
Sleep apnea is one of many health conditions that might lead to more frequent headaches.
A 2023 review looked at 23 studies on headache in OSA, which included a total of 15,402 participants. It found that 33% of people with OSA experienced morning headaches.
However, it’s unclear whether OSA causes morning headaches or worsens symptoms in people with an underlying headache disorder.
Other potential symptoms of sleep apnea include:
- dry mouth
- insomnia or difficulty sleeping
- frequent waking to urinate at night
- issues with sex drive or sexual function
Sleep apnea isn’t the only condition that may cause these symptoms. A range of physical and emotional health conditions may lead to these symptoms, which is why it’s important to talk with a doctor about any of these changes. Your doctor can help you get tested to identify the cause of your symptoms.
Let your doctor know if you develop potential symptoms of sleep apnea.
Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and medical history, conduct a physical exam, and order tests to learn whether sleep apnea or another condition may be causing your symptoms. Other sleep disorders and certain physical and emotional health conditions may cause similar symptoms, such as sleepiness, fatigue, and headache.
A doctor may refer you to a sleep specialist for a sleep study. This type of study measures how well you sleep and what your body does during sleep.
Your doctor may ask you to keep a sleep diary to track your sleep and how tired you feel. Wearable sleep trackers are also available to help detect sleep disorders, although experts don’t recommend using commercial trackers to replace medical tests.
A doctor may order additional tests if they suspect another health condition may be contributing to your symptoms. For example, a thyroid hormone imbalance or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) may cause sleep apnea in some people.
Your doctor may recommend one or more of the following treatments for sleep apnea:
- positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy, which delivers air pressure through your nose or mouth during sleep to help keep your airway open and support breathing
- healthy lifestyle habits, such as:
- taking steps to lose weight, if you have overweight or obesity
- getting regular physical activity
- following a regular sleep schedule
- avoiding or limiting alcohol and caffeine
- quitting smoking
- changing sleep position, to sleep on your side instead of your back
- a custom-fit oral device, to help keep your airway open during sleep
- orofacial therapy, to strengthen muscles in your mouth and face
- medication, such as tirzepatide (Zepbound), which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved in 2024 to treat moderate to severe OSA among adults with obesity, along with regular exercise and a reduced-calorie diet
- surgery
Talk with your doctor about the potential benefits and risks of different treatments. A combination of treatments is often effective in managing sleep apnea.
Your doctor may recommend other treatments if another health condition contributes to your symptoms.
It’s essential to stick with your treatment plan. Sleep apnea can raise your risk of certain conditions, including:
- metabolic syndrome
- chronic kidney disease
- type 2 diabetes
- cardiovascular disease
- heart attack or stroke
- eye issues like glaucoma
- pregnancy complications
Managing the condition with treatment can help lower the risk of developing any of these health issues.
Sleep apnea may cause signs and symptoms during sleep, such as:
- breathing that frequently starts and stops
- gasping for air or choking noises during sleep
- snoring that’s loud and disruptive
You might not realize these things are happening when you’re asleep, unless another person notices and tells you about it.
Sleep apnea may also cause symptoms that are noticeable during the day, such as:
- excessive daytime sleepiness
- fatigue
- headache
Talk with your doctor if you notice signs or symptoms of sleep apnea. Your doctor will ask questions, conduct a physical exam, and order tests to learn whether sleep apnea or another condition is causing the symptoms.
Your doctor may recommend a combination of treatment for sleep apnea, including PAP therapy and lifestyle changes. They might prescribe an oral device, medication, or other treatments.