Sleep apnea symptoms: the signs at night and during the day.

Sleep apnea (spelled sleep apnoea in Ireland and the UK) happens when your airway repeatedly narrows or closes while you sleep. Because it happens while you are asleep, many people do not know they have it. The symptoms are often noticed first by a partner — or show up as tiredness that sleep does not seem to fix.

Symptoms at night

The most common night-time signs are loud, regular snoring; pauses in breathing that someone else notices; waking suddenly with a gasp or choking feeling; restless sleep; and getting up often to pass urine. Some people also wake with a dry mouth or sore throat.

Symptoms during the day

During the day, sleep apnea can cause sleepiness, nodding off when sitting still, morning headaches, poor concentration and memory, irritability or low mood, and feeling unrefreshed however long you sleep. Feeling drowsy while driving is an important warning sign.

Symptoms that are easy to miss

Not everyone snores loudly. Women in particular may notice insomnia, fatigue, headaches or low mood rather than classic snoring. Sleep apnea can also show up as high blood pressure that is hard to control. If these sound familiar, it is worth asking the question.

Who is more likely to have it?

Sleep apnea is more common with carrying extra weight around the neck and middle, as we get older, in men, after menopause, with alcohol in the evening, with a narrow airway or large tonsils, and in people with high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes. But slim, young and active people can have it too.

When to get tested

If you snore and have any daytime symptoms, or someone has seen you stop breathing in your sleep, talk to your GP or consider a home sleep test. It records your breathing and oxygen levels for one night in your own bed, and a clinician reviews the result. If you feel sleepy while driving, do not drive until you have been assessed.