Below is a description of Obstructive Sleep Apnea and common symptoms from WebMD:

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) -- also called obstructive sleep apnea syndrome -- occurs when there are repeated episodes of complete or partial blockage of the upper airway during sleep. During a sleep apnea episode, the diaphragm and chest muscles work harder to open the obstructed airway and pull air into the lungs. Breathing usually resumes with a loud gasp, snort, or body jerk. These episodes can interfere with sound sleep. They can also reduce the flow of oxygen to vital organs and cause irregular heart rhythms.

Often the person with obstructive sleep apnea is not the first to recognize the signs. OSA is often first noticed by the bed partner or a person who observes the patient at rest. Many people who have OSA have no sleep complaints.

The most common obstructive sleep apnea symptoms include:

• Daytime sleepiness or fatigue
• Dry mouth or sore throat upon awakening
• Headaches in the morning
• Trouble concentrating, forgetfulness, depression, or irritability
• Night sweats
• Restlessness during sleep
• Sexual dysfunction
• Snoring
• Sudden awakenings with a sensation of gasping or choking
• Difficulty getting up in the mornings

While there are plenty of websites that tell the basics of OSA and explain diagnosis, treatment, etc. What we want to present here are common experiences that are not always recognized as being part of the OSA condition.

In working with an OSA population for a number of years, we have regularly heard about other symptoms, not normally associated with OSA, that seem to plague many. These non-sleep related symptoms include:

• Problems with thinking and concentration
• Trouble with memory or often feeling down
• Difficulty keeping positive
• Fluctuations in mood
• Sense of anxiety
• Lack of motivation
• Feeling on edge or stressed all the time
• General feeling of being unwell without specific ailments

This mental sense of your well being extends into physically not feeling well. The physical feeling of being tired is part of the disorder but also there is a sense that the body is not in a good state and it is hard to distinguish between physical and mental symptoms. There are physical things that impact you moment to moment (e.g., your body not responding as quickly as a healthy person to daily stimuli). You might not be feeling this or aware that your physical responses are delayed or hampered, but we are finding evidence for this in our research.

OSA patients that experience these issues have often encountered a medical community that does not always link the OSA with these emotional problems, despite a wealth of research that validates such links. With the findings from our studies we hope to contribute to the design of treatments or approaches to OSA that improve people's lives, and let the results speak for themselves.

Some ideas that we are currently looking into with our current study is that there are physical brain changes in people with OSA. While CPAP treatment can greatly improve the typical OSA symptoms we are not sure if it reduces or eliminates the emotional disturbances. We also believe that many people with OSA may have deficiencies in nutrients, including thiamine and magnesium.

As a researcher, not a doctor, the advice I give is to check that your CPAP is well titrated and working properly (if you have started this treatment), look to reduce anything that might be triggering stress (physical or psychological), look for ways to actively combat stress (diet, exercise, socializing & recreating, meditation), and you may also want to look at upper airway muscle exercises, which have been shown to help with apnea.