My partner has complained about the way I would suddenly wake up in the middle of the night. Sometimes, this would happen several times in one night. I don’t usually remember waking up at night but I do feel sluggish and drowsy in the morning. My partner has also made a remark about my mood swings. I think I have sleep apnea. What are the other symptoms of sleep apnea? How do they diagnose this? Can you give me some possible sleep apnea solutions?

People with sleep apnea usually have breathing problems while they are asleep. You were probably experiencing these episodes whenever you suddenly wake up at night, gasping and choking. This is a reflex that makes your exert effort to continue breathing. Other symptoms of sleep apnea are loud snoring, excessive perspiration and waking up with headaches, sore throat and a dry mouth. Also, because of sleep and oxygen deprivation, you might experience daytime sleepiness, low energy and a feeling of sluggishness that can affect your mood and concentration. Sleep apnea can also weaken your immune system, making you vulnerable to other illnesses.

If you suspect that you have sleep apnea, you should visit a doctor who could give you a diagnosis and suggest some sleep apnea solutions. Because diagnostic sleep studies and medical tests are very expensive, doctors do not usually require patients to undergo these tests unless the patient has a severe medical condition that may be drastically affected by sleep apnea or if the patient's sleep apnea is severe enough to present serious risks to the patient's life. At a minimum, he would ask you some questions regarding your medical and sleep history. For these cases, you should prepare a two-week sleep diary that contains your sleep behavior as well as other pertinent data like the amount of alcohol, tobacco or medication that you have taken in for the day. Since you don’t usually remember the things that you do while you are asleep, perhaps you can ask your partner to help you in completing this diary.

Sleep apnea solutions depend on the severity of the condition. Based on the doctor’s diagnosis, you would find out how serious your condition is. If your condition is relatively mild, the doctor may recommend changing your lifestyle. Some sleep apnea solutions do include getting into a sport or doing some exercises, eliminating the use of alcohol, tobacco and other medication and sleeping on your side. The doctor may also ask you to wear some oral devices that would pull your jaw out, raise your palate or keep your tongue in place while sleeping. Sometimes, the position of your jaw, tongue and palate can cause an obstruction in the airway while you are asleep.

If you have moderate or severe sleep apnea, the doctor may ask you to buy a continuous positive airway pressure or CPAP machine. This machine pumps in air through your airway at a high pressure through a flexible tube attached to a nasal mask. Some people find this uncomfortable so they usually opt for surgery instead. Of course, before undergoing these sleep apnea solutions, you should visit your doctor first. It may not be as serious as you think.