Common symptoms of sleep apnoea

It’s important to recognise the symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), central sleep apnoea (CSA) in patients.

One of the most recognisable symptoms of obstructive sleep apnoea is snoring, even though many patients ignore this sign or fail to recognise it as a symptom of a more serious condition.

Other symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing

As well as snoring, symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing may include:

excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS)
poor concentration
morning headaches
depressed mood
night sweats

weight gain
fatigue
forgetfulness
sexual dysfunction
nocturia

If your patient presents with any of these symptoms, it’s important to talk to them about SDB and recommend a sleep test.

These symptoms can also be caused by other conditions so accurate diagnosis is important.

What are the symptoms of sleep-disordered
breathing in children?

Sleep-disordered breathing also affects up to 3%¹ of children, with common symptoms including:

habitual snoring (which affects about 3.2 – 12%^1,2 of children)
noisy breathing/increased work of breathing
pauses in breathing with noisy resumption of breathing
chronic mouth breathing
behavioural problems, such as hyperactivity and aggressiveness
restless sleep

There are a number of risk factors that could also predispose children to having sleep-disordered breathing, including:

adenotonsillar hypertrophy
craniofacial malformation
congenital syndromes (e.g. Down’s, Marfan’s, Pierre Robin Sequence, Achondroplasia)
obesity

If symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing are observed in a child, it’s important to either refer the child to a paediatric sleep physician and/or recommend a sleep test to determine whether he or she has a breathing disorder. Find out how to request a sleep test.

More about sleep-disordered breathing

types-of-sleep-disordered-breathing-resmed

Types of sleep apnoea

There are three types of sleep apnoea: Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA), Central Sleep Apnoea (CSA) and mixed or complex sleep apnoea. Each type has distinctive characteristics that enable diagnosis.

Associated comorbidities

When left untreated, patients with SDB have an increased risk of developing serious chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. A significant number of patients with COPD also have SDB.

Screening and diagnosis

ResMed gives you the tools to screen your patients for sleep-disordered breathing, request a sleep study, and get them diagnosed.