Signs and symptoms of sleep apnea

• Frequent silences during sleep due to apnea
• Choking or gasping during sleep
• Loud snoring
• Sudden awakenings to restart breathing or waking up with sweating
• Day time sleepiness
• Lethargy
• Unable to concentrate, depression, memory difficulties,
• Hyperactive behavior in children

 Tests and diagnosis

• Sleep study or polysomnogram
• Arterial blood gases
• Echocardiogram
• Electrocardiogram
• Thyroid function tests
• Echocardiogram

 Treatment:

• If you are overweight, reduce the weight
• Treatment of enlarged tonsils or adenoids
• Avoid using alcohol, smoking, tobacco and sedatives.
• Sleep on the side
• Maintain regular sleeping hours daily
• Nasal dilator, breathe right strips or saline nasal spray can be used to open the nasal passages.
• The actual treatment is using continuous positive airway pressure