Common obstructive sleep apnea symptoms, signs, and risk factors include:
- snoring on the majority of nights.
- feeling unrefreshed after a full night's sleep
- frequent awakenings during the night.
- your bed partner voices concerns about abnormal breathing (such as that you stop breathing) in your sleep.
- excessive daytime sleepiness or fatigue.
- overweight (body mass index [BMI] 25-29.9) or obese (BMI ≥30).
- neck circumference ≥17" in men or ≥16" in women.
- cigarette smoking.
Other, more subtle signs may indicate OSA, such as:
- extremely restless sleep.
- waking up in the morning with headaches.
- night time acid reflux.
- needing to urinate multiple times during the night.
These factors may also influence sleep apnea risk:
- age: sleep apnea rates increase as we get older.
- sex: men have higher risk until women finish menopause, then risk equilibrates.
- structural jaw abnormalities, e.g. micrognathia (small lower jaw) and retrognathia (set-back, recessed lower jaw), narrow, high-arched palate (upper jaw), head shapes such as dolicocephaly (long, narrow head).
- family history.
- cigarette smoking.
- large tonsils, adenoids.
- allergies, asthma.
- alcohol consumption or sedative/hypnotic medications near bedtime.