Snoring and fatigue: first signs of sleep apnea

Knowing the signs and symptoms of sleep apnea is very important in finding out whether or not this potentially serious sleep disorder is affecting you or your partner.

There are also several different types of sleep apnea. One of these is central sleep apnea, which is brought on by your brain's inability to signal the muscles of your respiratory system properly.

Two of the most common symptoms to look out for are excessive daytime tiredness, and of course, snoring! Although, snoring doesn't necessarily mean that you have sleep apnea.

Leilani shares her story about discovering that she has sleep apnea and the difference her machine makes to her life.

"I'm Leilani Natali, and I use the Resmed VAuto device. Well, my husband had a snoring issue. And we went through all that. And so I got educated very well with it because he has central apnea."

Central sleep apnea occurs when the brain stops signaling for the body to breathe. It is different than obstructive sleep apnea, where enlarged and/or relaxed throat muscles obstruct your upper airway.

"Through that, my husband finally piped up and said, well, you know you snore too. And he even got the grandkids to mention - you know, asked them, doesn't Granny snore? And they would call it purring, not snoring. But then it becomes like a train. My husband says it sounds like a train, like I'm revving an engine, trying to catch some breath. But my tongue is all the way back in the way where I can't breathe. And my nose is like it's clamped off too."