Obstructive sleep apnea may have some surprising signs. Sleep apnea is a common disorder in which there is one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths during sleep. Breathing pauses can last from a few seconds to minutes.
They may occur 30 times or more an hour. Typically, normal breathing then starts again, sometimes with a loud snort or choking sound. You may expect it in someone who is overweight, snores loudly, and repeatedly wakes up gasping out of sleep. However, there may be other symptoms that suggest the presence of the disorder. Consider some of these alternative signs and whether the underlying cause might be due to sleep apnea.
•Depression
There is a lot of overlap between problems with sleep and problems with mood. Depression in particular has a strong association with sleep apnea.
This might manifest as feeling down or sad, even episodes of crying, but there can be other findings in depression as well. There may be a loss of interest in activities that were previously pleasurable.
Some people experience feelings of guilt about things that they have done or have failed to do. Low energy levels and poor concentration may also occur. Appetite may be reduced or increased, leading to weight loss or gain, respectively.
There may even be thoughts of hurting oneself or others. When any of these symptoms occur, treating sleep apnea may help, but some people may additionally require the use of antidepressant medication or therapy. In addition to depression, anxiety, panic attacks at night, and irritability may also occur with sleep apnea.
•Problems thinking
This fragmentation results in frequent arousals and poor quality sleep. One of the major functions of sleep is to clear away debris in the pathways of the brain, including the neurotransmitter adenosine. When this maintenance work is disrupted, sleep is not as refreshing.
This may make someone with sleep apnea feel like their thinking is hazy, almost like a “brain fog.” As a result, difficulties with poor concen-tration and short-term memory problems may occur.
•Impotence
Difficulty achieving or maintaining an erection may be a sign of sleep apnea in men. This impotence can occur due to compromised blood flow to the penis. There are multiple instances in which sleep apnea is known to have cardiovascular consequences.
It may contribute to high blood pressure, heart failure, and even hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol). It is believed that sleep apnea causes systemic inflammation.
The stress of repeated episodes of breathing disruption at night, with drops in the oxygen levels, increases markers of inflammation. This may affect blood vessels directly. In addition, there may be effects on the nervous system that controls blood flow.
•Uncontrolled high blood pressure
Sleep apnea contributes to the risk for developing high blood pressure. This condition, also called hypertension, can lead to adverse consequences like a heart attack of stroke. As described above, the repeated episodes of disrupted breathing during sleep leads to drops in blood oxygen levels, spikes in the heart rate, and increased blood pressure.
The resulting inflammation affects the whole body. When blood pressure is difficult to control with lifestyle changes or medication, sleep apnea should be investigated as a potential cause with sleep study. Fortunately, treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) can be as effective as one medication to reduce blood pressure.
•Waking to urinate
If you find yourself getting up at night to urinate, this may also be a sign of sleep apnea. This condition, called nocturia, may occur in various situations: excessive fluid intake near bedtime, the use of diuretic medications such as Lasix (furosemide), or in men with benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). It also occurs with sleep apnea. The fragmentation of sleep that occurs may interrupt the release of anti-diuretic hormone (ADH).
Normally, this hormone prevents us from peeing at night. When it is not released, more frequent trips to the bathroom may occur. In addition, sleep apnea may cause lighter sleep that leads to more awareness of how full the bladder is at night, also prompting urination. Treatment may decrease the need to urinate overnight.
