Thank you for your question. Daytime somnolence, poor concentration in the day, fatigue, dozing off easily are possible symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea, a condition whereby there is complete or partial obstruction of the airways during sleep.
During deep sleep, there is usually relaxation of the muscles of the airway, resulting in collapse of the airway. While this may be expected in everyone to some degree, the effect is often exaggerated in individuals with certain conditions including a larger tongue, enlarged tonsils, obesity etc.
As a result of the collapse of the airway, airflow into the lungs during sleep may be impeded, resulting in reduced oxygen levels in the blood. If there is no airway flow at all, apnea (a pause in breathing) occurs.
These apneic episodes result in hypoxia (lack in oxygen) and triggers an interruption in the sleep cycle. While complete awakening rarely occurs, this results in a inability to achieve deep sleep (NREM sleep) which is necessary for meaningful rest. Therefore, patients often find that they are poorly rested despite seemingly having slept through the night. Over long periods of time, this lack in oxygen can potentially impair mental functioning as well.
The common telltale symptom of OSA would include snoring although not everyone who snores has OSA and conversely, not everyone with OSA snores. Other symptoms include poor daytime concentration, excessive sleepiness, fatigue etc. OSA can also contribute to hypertension and other chronic diseases.
A useful screening tool would be the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. If you scored 9 and above, you should consider seeking medical advice.
You may want to see a ENT specialist or a Respiratory Physician who specialises in sleep disorders. They would be able to take a complete history and perform a physical examination on you.
From there, they may recommend that you undergo a sleep study- this will provide information about the quality of your sleep and help to diagnose OSA.
The gold standard treatment for OSA would be a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine, although certain patients may also benefit from surgical correction of anatomical abnormalities which contribute to OSA. Of course, if you are overweight, weight loss would also help in improving symptoms to OSA.
Hope this helps!
