What is Keeping You Up at Night?
Here at American Sleep Centers, we hear a lot of opinions on how people feel they are sleeping without ever really being tested. Sometimes it is hard to know what the actual signs and symptoms of lack of sleep in our own lives until we learn the signs and symptoms.
When we think of people being up consistently at night we often think of insomniacs. That’s where the question comes, “Is it our sleep or is it insomnia that is keeping us up at night?”
We don’t always realize how much our actual “sleep” is keeping us up at night. The reason is that we appear to be sleeping but if our sleep is interrupted because we stop breathing – that can be due to sleep apnea. In Obstructive sleep apnea, a part of our soft palate collapses which then blocks our airway. If we have central sleep apnea, our brain doesn’t even send the proper signals to the muscles that control our breathing.
Loud snoring can indicate a potentially serious problem, but not everyone who has sleep apnea snores. Snoring is likely to be a sign of sleep apnea when silent breathing pauses and choking or gasping sounds follows it.
The signs and symptoms of obstructive and central sleep overlap, which sometimes makes it difficult to determine which type we have. The most common signs and symptoms of obstructive and central sleep apneas include:
- Loud Snoring
- Choking or gasping in your sleep
- Daytime Drowsiness
- Depression
- Issues with Weight Gain
- Awakening with a dry mouth
- Morning headache
- Difficulty staying asleep
- Difficulty paying attention while awake
- Irritability
- A narrow airway
- Larger neck 17” above for men & 16” or above for women
If you are not getting adequate rest at night, don’t hesitate to reach out to the experts here at American Sleep Centers. American Sleep Centers has staff members who are serious about sleep. If you are “Dreaming of a Good Night Sleep,” you will experience comfort and convenience with either our in-lab or in-home sleep studies and PAP therapy devices. All we do is SLEEP, offering services customized to your needs and preference with our specialized doctors and technicians.