Sleep Apnea Symptoms

The most noticable, common symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may include:

• Excessive daytime sleepiness.
• Waking with an unrefreshed feeling after sleep, having problems with memory and concentration, feeling tired, and experiencing personality changes.
• Frequent silences during sleep due to breaks in breathing (apnea)
• Choking or gasping during sleep to get air into the lungs
• Morning or night headaches. About half of all people with sleep apnea report headaches.
• Heartburn or a sour taste in the mouth at night.
• Swelling of the legs.
• Getting up during the night to urinate (nocturia).
• Sweating and chest pain while you are sleeping.
• Episodes of not breathing (apnea), which may occur as few as 5 times an hour (mild apnea) to more than 50 times an hour (severe apnea). How many episodes you have determines how severe your sleep apnea is.
• Loud snoring. Almost all people who have sleep apnea snore, but not all people who snore have sleep apnea.
• Restless tossing and turning during sleep.
• Nighttime choking or gasping spells.