SYMPTOMS OF OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA
Typically, the patient doesn’t recognize their symptoms or troubles during sleep, it’s their partner in bed next to them. It’s likely a person with OSA will experience:
- Fatigue throughout the day.
- Waking up suddenly, gasping for breath.
- Dry mouth in the morning
- Trouble concentrating, crankiness, and forgetfulness.
- Headaches
- Night sweats
- Sexual disfunction
It’s often more difficult spotting OSA in children, especially those who have their own room. Additional symptoms parents can watch out for include:
- Grades are dropping and in-class participation is decreasing.
- Sluggishness, and extra tiredness in the morning.
- Dry mouth may present as difficulties swallowing.
- When inhaling, the ribcage moves inward
- New, sometimes strange sleeping positions such as sleeping on the hands and knees.
- Excessive night sweats
LONG TERM EFFECTS OF OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA
Obstructive sleep apnea can lead to a variety of health issues, including arrhythmias, hypertension, stroke, cardiomyopathy (enlargement of the heart muscle tissue), congestive heart failure, and diabetes if left untreated. In addition, untreated sleep apnea can lead to job loss, work-related accidents, and car accidents.
