Before I was diagnosed with sleep apnea, I spent a lot of time sleeping on the couch. My snoring had become so severe that my wife couldn't get to sleep. (Sleep apnea can impact your relationships in a big way.) Here are some of the symptoms I (and my wife) experienced that led me to a diagnosis. If You Keep Your Partner Up at Night, You May Have Sleep Apnea If your partner starts pestering you about your loud and uncontrollable snoring, it's probably not an indication that you're tired. You may have sleep apnea, and it's time to get checked by your doctor. I'm glad I went to get checked because now my wife can get to sleep, and she doesn't worry about my snoring. Sleep Apnea Makes You Irritable Another indication that I had some sort of issue is that I began to feel quite irritable throughout most of the day. I felt like I was in brain fog, often had bad morning headaches, and little things that shouldn't bother me started making me cranky. My wife would ask me what was wrong, but I couldn't put my finger on what the problem was. When you have sleep apnea, you can't get a good night's rest, so it can make you irritable the next day. If you find that little things start to annoy you for no reason, get checked for sleep apnea, as this is a symptom. You Always Need Naps I work from home and found myself needing a nap or two each day because I was so tired. My wife would come home from work and find me sleeping on the couch. This is a direct result of sleep apnea, as you don't get the rest you need. This can be a serious issue when you're driving, as you may have the need to sleep in the middle of the highway. You can't control sleep apnea sleepiness, and this can be a risk to you and others on the road. Sleep Apnea Makes You Forgetful Whenever my wife gave me a task to complete, I would often forget what I was supposed to do. I needed to write things down all of the time. I was too tired to think straight, and this impacted my day-to-day life in a big way. Sleep apnea can cause you to lose concentration or be forgetful, and it's another indication you need to get checked by your doctor. Treatment for Sleep Apnea I'm happy to say that my wife now gets a good night's rest, and I'm comfortable all night with my CPAP machine. I'm thankful I have my machine, as it's made a huge difference in the quality of my sleep. I can now get up early, get my work done during the day, and have no sleepiness. I'm a lot happier with my CPAP, and my relationship with my wife has never been better. Get checked if you have any of these symptoms as it will improve not only your life but that of those you care about the most. Source
