Signs and Symptoms of Sleep Disorders

Signs and symptoms of sleep-related disorders are as broad as the list of disorders themselves. There are, however, "common" symptoms that apply to the entirety of the list. They range from the most common complaints of non-refreshing sleep, excessive daytime sleepiness, witnessed periods of lack of breathing for > 10 seconds, frequent arousals, waking up gagging or choking, leg jerks, and morning headaches to waking up groggy or fatigued even after a seemingly efficient night's sleep.

Factors modifying sleep stage distribution:

• Age
• Poor sleep hygiene
• Circadian Rhythms
• Temperature
• Medications
• Disorders
• About 50 million people are affected by chronic sleep disorders (one-third of the U.S. adult population)
• 20 million Americans with sleep apnea
• Majority are undiagnosed and untreated
• 20 million night shift workers (Circadian Rhythms)
• 50% of Americans have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep (National Sleep Foundation Gallop Survey)

Risk Factors and Indicators of Sleep Disordered Breathing:

• Obesity calculated by BMI (BODY MASS INDEX)
• Increasing age
• Male gender (approximately 3 to 1 over females)
• Anatomic abnormalities (Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome [UARS])
• Family history
• Alcohol or sedative use
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Smoking
• Associated conditions

Risk Factors -- Associated Conditions:

• Hyperthyroidism
• Acromegaly
• Amyloidosis
• Vocal cord paralysis
• Long neck (> 16" for women, 17" for men)
• Marfan Syndrome
• Down Syndrome
• Neuromuscular disorders
• Tonsilhypertrophy
• High blood pressure
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
• Impotency and/or erectile dysfunction
• Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)
• Cardiac arrhythmias
• Myocardial Ischemia
• Pulmonary hypertention/Cor Pulmonale
• Cerebrovascular disease

These are all conditions that are red flags. Your Primary Care Physician may overlook these visual symptoms and not relate them to Sleep Disorders. For this reason, if you suffer from any of these symptoms, it is the patient's place to be agressive and speak to their doctor about the possibility.

There is no one who should rely on their doctor to read between the lines. Take matters into your own hands and take control of your health!