If you have PTSD, then you may be at heightened risk for developing sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is a fairly common sleep disorder where a person may have one or more brief (a few seconds to minutes) pauses in their breathing or experience shallow breathing while sleeping. Although these pauses may be brief, they can occur frequently during the night. Normal breathing eventually starts up again; however, these pauses can greatly disrupt a person's sleep. In addition, these pauses in breathing can prevent someone from going into a deep sleep, resulting in sleep that is not satisfying or restorative.
Symptoms of sleep apnea include the following symptoms:
- Loud and persistent snoring
- Choking or gasping for air at night
- Feeling tired and sleepy during the day
- Headaches, especially in the morning
- Concentration or memory problems
- Feeling irritable or depressed
- Urinating at night
- Having a dry or irritated throat when you wake up
- Being jarred out of sleep at night due to lack of air
Keep in mind that just because you have some of these symptoms does not necessarily mean that you have sleep apnea. These symptoms can develop for other reasons, especially if you have PTSD (for example, concentration difficulties, feeling irritable or depressed).
You can learn more about sleep apnea and its treatment from Dr. Brandon Peters, About.com Guide to Sleep.
