Common Symptoms Of Sleep Apnea In Women
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder caused by airway obstruction. This results in issues breathing throughout the night. In sleep apnea, throat muscles relaxing causes the airway to collapse in on itself. Blocked nasal passages also contribute to sleep apnea! Conditions that block the nasal passages and make breathing difficult increase the risk of sleep apnea. These conditions include the common cold, a deviated septum, and allergies.
The amazing news is sleep apnea is treatable! The most popular treatment is CPAP for mild sleep apnea. There are also travel CPAP machines! Many also look to dental treatment for sleep apnea, as well as EMA sleep appliances. Before the best treatment for sleep apnea is determined, the condition must be identified!
Stop Breathing When Sleeping
Sleep apnea causes women to occasionally stop breathing during sleep. This is most commonly due to the throat muscles relaxing. Most of the time, this doesn’t make women wake up. Many aren’t even aware they stop breathing! Women find out they stop breathing occasionally while they sleep because their partner points it out to them. The fact they stop breathing at times does influence the quality of their sleep even when it doesn't wake them up. This influence shows up in several other symptoms of sleep apnea!
Excessive Sleepiness
Women with sleep apnea also display excessive sleepiness during the day. This means they find it hard to remain awake no matter what they’re doing. Excessive sleepiness is quite dangerous because women can fall asleep when driving or at other critical points during the day. Women dealing with excessive sleepiness will also display a lack of energy and ‘brain fog.’
Most women experience excessive sleepiness periodically throughout their lives. That said, those with sleep apnea will deal with this regularly over long periods. Yes, this means they will be overly tired even if they got enough sleep the night before! This is a prime example of how even though women won’t wake up due to the times they stop breathing at night, it still influences their sleep quality.
Dry Mouth
Women whose nose is blocked due to their sleep apnea experience dry mouth throughout the day. This is because when their nose is blocked, they breathe through their mouth. The air going in and out of the mouth causes saliva to dry up!
Mouth breathing due to sleep apnea is triggered in several ways. Temporary conditions like the common cold, flu, and allergies can block the nasal passages. As discussed, a deviated septum increases the risk of sleep apnea. This genetic condition causes chronic mouth breathing when women are asleep. Mouth breathing also results in another symptom of sleep apnea: snoring!
Snoring
Snoring is another iconic symptom of sleep apnea, particularly in women. The vast majority snore loudly when they have sleep apnea. Snoring happens because air cannot move through the nose and throat while a woman sleeps. This causes tissues in this area to vibrate, which is where the sound of snoring comes from!
Snoring is the symptom that gets women into sleep clinics and to see their doctor for treatment. This is because their partners point it out to them! Most women who go in for treatment believe snoring is the only issue that needs fixing. However, the sleep clinic is the place where women get diagnosed with sleep apnea when they go in for more details on their snoring.
Headaches
Women with sleep apnea experience headaches, especially in the morning, due to their condition regularly. This occurs because women with sleep apnea have a reduced oxygen intake during the night thanks to their blocked airway. Thus, they aren’t getting the same amount of oxygen in their brain and other parts of their body as a result.
The reduced oxygen to the brain is the cause of headaches as a symptom of sleep apnea. The brain is unable to function in the same way with reduced oxygen, which causes pain! Thankfully, headaches due to sleep apnea subside after women get more oxygen during the day. This is why morning headaches are the most common!