Healthy Living

Signs of Sleep Apnea and the Need to Address It

Tiredness During the Day and Headaches

When blockages occur, the affected person is either jolted from sleep or in the most severe cases can stop breathing altogether. People may have sleep apnea if they notice that they don’t have much energy and are sleepy despite getting a full night sleep, or they wake up with headaches. People that suffer from sleep apnea are almost always snorers, but they also tend to toss and turn at night, and their partners may notice that they gasp or choke while asleep.

Inexplicable Waking Headaches

If someone already suffers from headaches like migraine or cluster headaches, they're two to eight times more likely to develop sleep apnea and wake with headaches if they have sleep apnea. Low oxygen levels are what causes the headaches associated with sleep apnea. When the oxygen levels become low, the blood vessels tend to widen and the theory is that this vasodilation then leads to intracranial pressure which results in headaches that generally occur between the hours of four and nine in the morning.