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The signs and symptoms of obstructive and central sleep apneas overlap, sometimes making the type of sleep apnea more difficult to determine. The most common signs and symptoms of obstructive and central sleep apneas include excessive daytime sleepiness during the day, at work, or while driving. You may find yourself rapidly falling asleep during the quiet moments of the day when you're not active. Loud and chronic snoring is usually a symptom of obstructive sleep apnea. Pauses may occur in the snoring. Choking or gasping may follow the pauses. Other symptoms include observed episodes of breathing cessation during sleep by a bed partner or other, abrupt awakenings accompanied by shortness of breath, which more likely indicates central sleep apnea, waking with a dry mouth or sore throat, morning headache, not being able to concentrate, feeling irritable, depressed, or having mood swings, and insomnia.

In children, sleep apnea can cause hyperactivity, poor school performance, and aggressiveness. Children who have sleep apnea also may have unusual sleeping positions, bed-wetting, and may breathe through their mouths instead of their noses during the day.

For more information, go to NIH.gov or MayoClinic.com

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