Do I have sleep apnea? Signs, risk factors and how to find out

What obstructive sleep apnea is

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) happens when the airway repeatedly narrows or closes during sleep. Breathing becomes shallow or stops for short periods, oxygen levels can drop, and the brain briefly wakes you to restart breathing — often without you remembering it.

Common signs

• Loud, frequent snoring
• Someone has seen you stop breathing, choke or gasp during sleep
• Waking up with a dry mouth or morning headache
• Feeling sleepy or unrefreshed during the day despite enough time in bed
• Trouble concentrating, memory slips or irritability
• Waking up often at night or needing to urinate at night

Who is most at risk

Risk is higher with excess body weight, a larger neck size, older age, male sex, high blood pressure, and a family history of sleep apnea. Women's risk rises after menopause. People without any of these can still have OSA.

How to find out

• Take a validated questionnaire-based screening such as STOP-Bang to see your risk level.
• Share the result with a clinician, especially if your risk is intermediate or high.
• If testing is recommended, a home sleep apnea test or an in-lab sleep study measures your breathing overnight.
• Only a sleep study, reviewed by a clinician, can diagnose OSA and describe how severe it is.

When not to wait

If you've nodded off while driving, or someone sees long pauses in your breathing, talk with a clinician promptly. Call 911 for chest pain or trouble breathing while awake.

Sources

• American Academy of Sleep Medicine — Obstructive sleep apnea — sleepeducation.org
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NIH) — Sleep Apnea
• Chung F, et al., Anesthesiology — STOP questionnaire: a tool to screen patients for obstructive sleep apnea (2008)

This article is general education, not medical advice. Talk with a clinician about your situation.

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