What were your first symptoms of sleep apnea?

Hi @sleepingbeast

How are you doing today?

You've come to the right place to ask our members about their journey into being diagnosed with sleep apnea. We have a great community here that can share their stories.

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What were your first symptoms? Did you go to your GP or did you need a specialist? Did you take a sleep test? What other factors were give aways to your Sleep Apnea?

Let's share for @sleepingbeast !

Take care,

Lizzi from the Carenity team

I snored and was super tired all the time. I was starting to get a super bad memory, so much so that so that I thought it was early Dementia. The last straw was when started to stutter and had problems talking. I kept going to the doctor that they kept saying my bloodwork was normal and nothing was wrong.

During one of my countless doctors visits, a resident noticed my neck was large. Then the resident asked if I’d been checked for sleep apnea. So, a sleep study was ordered. I got tested and found out that I have severe obstructive sleep apnea.

I was very sleepy during the day and it started to affect my work. I did snore, but the biggest red flag was when we were on a road trip and whenever I drove, I fell asleep at the wheel. My husband insisted I see a sleep spe. During the sleep study, I stopped breathing 49 times an hour!! It took 3 onsite sleep studies to get the cpap machine adjusted.

Definitely you should see a sleep doctor.

I was falling asleep in my car driving to work EVERY DAY.

Had a sleep study, walked out with my first CPAP. Just like going to a convention.

I fell asleep at the wheel every morning on my way to work. The day after my sleep study, they sent me in to the sleepstudy office and would not let me leave until they found a provider for CPAP

I looked and felt very run down, very low energy, at times my respiratory symptoms were mistaken for worsening depression.

I am on BiPAP which has been working for sometime.

Sure, it sounds like you might be experiencing some symptoms of sleep apnea. It's great that you're looking into this because addressing it can make a big difference in your overall health and quality of life.

Some common symptoms of sleep apnea include feeling tired despite getting enough sleep, loud snoring (especially if it gets worse after drinking alcohol), and having someone notice that you stop breathing during sleep.

It's important to note that not everyone with sleep apnea experiences all of these symptoms, and they can vary in severity.

To find out if you have sleep apnea, the first step is usually to consult with a healthcare professional, such as your primary care doctor or a sleep specialist.

They may recommend a sleep study (polysomnography) to monitor your breathing patterns, heart rate, and other factors while you sleep. This can help determine if you have sleep apnea and how severe it is.

In addition to medical treatments like CPAP machines or oral appliances, there are also lifestyle changes and exercises that can potentially help reduce symptoms of sleep apnea. One program that some people find helpful is this one.

It focuses on specific exercises designed to strengthen the muscles around the airway, potentially reducing snoring and improving sleep quality.

However, it's crucial to discuss any new treatments or programs with your healthcare provider to ensure they are safe and effective for your specific situation.

I hope this information helps! Take care and best of luck in finding relief from your symptoms.