Sleep Apnoea Symptoms

Medically reviewed by:

Dr Dan Bunstone - Medical Officer

Updated: Aug 18, 2021

Next review: Aug 18, 2022

Spotting the symptoms of a sleep disorder such as sleep apnoea isn’t easy. After all, you’re usually asleep when they’re happening, so it often falls to the people you live with the let you know that you’re not sleeping as peacefully as you should be.

These are the symptoms that you and your loved ones need to look out for:

The most obvious feature of sleep apnoea is very loud snoring, particularly if the person is lying on their back.

Sleep apnoea occurs when your throat becomes blocked, often by the flesh in your neck. Because the gap for the air to get through is so small, this creates a much louder sound than usual.

As you’re struggling for air without realising, it can make your breathing very loud and laboured while you’re asleep.

When you have sleep apnoea, your brain is deprived of oxygen each time your airways become blocked. Each time this happens, your brain alerts the rest of your body so that it can take action to return the oxygen supply to normal.

When this happens, you might gasp or snort as you instinctively move around to restore their air supply. In severe cases, this can happen dozens of times every hour and have a huge impact on the quality of your sleep.

This is a symptom that you can identify yourself. It’s a direct result of your sleep being disturbed so often during the night, but as you’re probably not aware of the problems that occur while you’re asleep, you probably won’t know why you feel so tired.

As a result of your disturbed sleep, you might also experience:

Headaches
Bad mood
Difficulty concentrating

You should book an online consultation with us if:

Your partner or a family member has become concerned about your snoring.
You’re always tired during the day and can’t work out why.

It’s important that you see a doctor as soon as symptoms are identified, as leaving them untreated can cause severe health complications.

Studies have also shown that people who don’t sleep properly because of sleep apnoea are up to 12 times more likely to be involved in a car accident.

Our doctors will assess your symptoms to determine whether sleep apnoea is a possibility. You will probably need to be referred to a sleep specialist in order to fully analyse your symptoms and confirm your diagnosis.

Sleep Apnoea Symptoms

Dr Dan Bunstone - Medical Officer

Common symptoms of Sleep Apnoea

Very loud snoring

Noisy breathing during sleep

Gasping or snorting

Feeling sleepy during the day

When should you see a doctor?

What happens next?

Sleep related articles