The Side Effects of Sleep Apnea

You might know the main symptoms of sleep apnea, like waking up suddenly and 
having to inhale a breath or just being fatigued in general, but this condition causes a lot 
of other side effects as well. Knowing them helps you understand why you experience 
certain things and can also signal to having sleep apnea.

Fatigue Throughout the Day

Have you noticed that you get a lot of tiredness and fatigue during the day, even during 
times when you know you should have slept enough? This is often a sign of getting poor 
sleep, even though you didnt realize it. You might have been waking up more than 
once in the middle of the night because of your shallow breaths or pauses in your 
breaths. 

Issues With Focus and Concentration

When you have sleep apnea, you dont sleep very well, which can keep you from being 
able to focus during the day. If you have noticed that when the other symptoms of sleep 
apnea started, you also had reduced concentration and focus, it could be another big 
sign of sleep apnea. Many people with this sleep disorder struggle with focusing at work 
or school.

Acid Reflux

GERD and acid reflux are both common side effects for having sleep apnea. Not only 
are they more common if you have sleep apnea, but they can also be part of the cause 
of this sleep disorder. Acid reflux causes a burning acid sensation in your throat and 
near your heart, called heartburn. It will usually be worse after a meal, following eating 
or drinking something with a lot of acid, or when you are lying down.

Intimacy Problems

Sleep apnea is more common in men, and can also cause erectile dysfunction as a 
major side effect. This link is usually with obstructive sleep apnea, which is the more 
common form of this sleep disorder. If you are a man and have intimacy issues, it is 
possible that you have sleep apnea.

Gasping When Waking Up

This is often the first sign people notice when they have sleep apnea. If you have 
noticed that you are not only waking up suddenly in the middle of the night, but you tend 
to be gasping for air, it could be sleep apnea. This happens because you go a matter of 
seconds without breathing properly or you have shallow breaths, which sends a signal 
to your brain to wake you up.

