How to Tell If I Have Sleep Apnea

Many people who have sleep apnea don’t know it. But if they don’t treat it, over time the condition can cause more serious problems. The most common is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), when the throat tissues relax and partially block your airway, causing breaths to stop for seconds. Your brain tries to wake you up by bringing in more oxygen. This repeated cycle causes snoring and disturbs your sleep. People with OSA are at higher risk for high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke, diabetes, depression, and a variety of other health conditions.

Symptoms of sleep apnea include loud snoring, interrupted breathing pauses during sleep, and excessive daytime drowsiness. People with obstructive sleep apnea may also have memory problems and mood changes. Their partners often report that they are irritable and short-tempered. They are also at greater risk of a heart condition called arrhythmia, especially atrial fibrillation.

How to Tell If I Have Sleep Apnea: Diagnostic Methods

How to tell if I have sleep apnea, your doctor will ask questions about your symptoms and family history. They will want to see whether you have a condition that might cause it, like heart disease or diabetes. They will probably recommend an overnight study of your sleeping, called a polysomnogram. During this test, you sleep in a sleep lab with sensors that record your brain waves, eye and leg movements, oxygen levels, airflow, heart rhythm and more.

A doctor will use the results to determine how severe your sleep apnea is. Mild sleep apnea is 5-15 events per hour, moderate is 15-30, and more than 30 means you have severe sleep apnea.