Sleep apnea, a health condition where breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep, is a lot more common than you may realize. According to a 2025 systematic review published in Respiratory Medicine, an estimated 32.4% of US adults have sleep apnea, which is roughly 83.7 million people.
Just because it’s common doesn’t mean it isn’t a big deal. Sleep apnea can negatively impact health in profound ways. It can increase blood pressure and is associated with a greater risk of both Parkinson’s disease and dementia. This is because stopping breathing deprives the brain of oxygen and nutrients.
A major reason why sleep apnea is so difficult to diagnose is that it happens during sleep. Especially if you sleep alone, you could be completely unaware that your breathing is being disrupted overnight. Loud snoring is one of the classic symptoms of sleep apnea and is something that you could have no idea you’re doing on your own.
However, some daytime symptoms of sleep apnea can clue you in that you may have it as well. If so, it’s important to see your healthcare provider so you can be treated.
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According to scientific research, people who are most at risk for sleep apnea are men, older adults and people with obesity. Nighttime symptoms of sleep apnea include loud snoring, waking up with shortness of breath and restless sleep. There are daytime symptoms of sleep apnea too, which are listed below.
Dr. Suman Paul, MBBS, PhD, a consultant respiratory physician located in the UK, says that daytime fatigue is a hallmark of sleep apnea. This is because repeatedly stopping and restarting breathing throughout the night is disruptive to sleep. It gets in the way of truly restorative sleep, making it common to wake up tired and feel fatigued throughout the day.
“The most common daytime symptom of sleep apnea is tiredness or fatigue,” reiterates Dr. Brooke Judd, MD, the Section Chief of Sleep Medicine at Dartmouth Health. “Sometimes this is severe sleepiness to the point that someone may unintentionally fall asleep during a conversation or while driving, but it doesn’t have to be that obvious."
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2. Brain fog
Dr. Judd emphasizes that daytime fatigue resulting from sleep apnea often isn’t as pronounced as falling asleep behind the wheel or mid-conversation with someone. She says it can commonly look like brain fog. This means that if you’re having trouble thinking clearly, focusing or remembering things, you could have sleep apnea.
Not getting restorative sleep causes brain fog because it disrupts neuron communication and slows the prefrontal cortex, which is the area of the brain that handles focus and planning. Even just one night of poor sleep can impact cognitive functioning, and the impact is even more pronounced when you don’t get enough sleep regularly.
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This is another potential sign of sleep apnea, according to Dr. Paul. As explained earlier, sleep apnea prevents the brain from getting oxygen and nutrients. The combination of not getting enough oxygen and not getting enough sleep can manifest in a headache.
This is because when breathing stops, blood oxygen levels drop and carbon dioxide accumulates. This causes blood vessels around the brain to dilate, which causes increased intracranial pressure. According to the organization Sleep Apnea, between 10 and 30% of people with sleep apnea experience headaches.
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4. High blood pressure
If the next time you get your blood pressure checked, it’s higher than it should be, you may want to consider whether it could be related to sleep apnea. As a scientific article in Cureus explains, decreased breathing during the night leads to temporarily low oxygen and high carbon dioxide in the body. This disruption can cause blood pressure to go up.
The connection between sleep apnea and high blood pressure is one reason why it’s important for sleep apnea to be treated. High blood pressure is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, heart attacks and strokes.
5. Low libido
If your libido has gone down, Dr. Paul says it could be due to sleep apnea. Scientific research shows that between the lack of oxygen flow and lack of sleep, sleep apnea can affect libido in both men and women, and can contribute to erectile dysfunction in men.
Is Shortness of Breath During the Day a Sign of Sleep Apnea?
Since sleep apnea is defined as breathing disruptions during sleep, it’s natural to wonder if experiencing shortness of breath during the day is a potential sign of sleep apnea. According to Dr. Paul and Dr. Judd, it’s typically not.
Shortness of breath is more likely a symptom related to asthma, COPD, pneumonia, heart failure or lung cancer. To find out the cause, Dr. Paul says doctors will typically order tests such as an ECG, pulmonary function test, chest X-ray, CT scan and echocardiogram.
“Shortness of breath during the day is not a common symptom of sleep apnea, although we do see it sometimes,” Dr. Judd says. She explains that it’s not directly related to sleep apnea, but may be related through other conditions, such as congestive heart failure and pulmonary hypertension, both of which can cause shortness of breath.
“Or it can be related to more general fatigue that can be seen with untreated obstructive sleep apnea," she notes.
Okay, so you suspect you may have sleep apnea and want to see your doctor about it. What can you expect to happen next? Dr. Judd explains that you’ll likely need to get a sleep study. After all, sleep apnea happens during sleep, so testing can’t happen when you’re awake.
“There are different kinds of sleep studies depending on the amount of information we are monitoring during sleep, but the minimum information is whether there is obstructed airflow and whether there are brief dips in the oxygen levels with these obstructions,” she says.
If your sleep study indicates that you have sleep apnea, your doctor will likely give you a prescription for a CPAP machine, which is a medical device that uses air pressure to keep airways open while you sleep. While it may take some getting used to at first, the benefits of being able to get adequate sleep and lowering your risk for health conditions associated with sleep apnea are well worth it.
Dr. Paul says that once sleep apnea is treated, you can expect to feel more energized during the day. In fact, all of the five daytime signs of sleep apnea mentioned above should disappear. Never underestimate the power of good sleep.
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Sources
Sleep apnea. Mayo Clinic.Sӧnmez, I., Vo Dupuy, A., Yu, K. S., et al. (2025). Unmasking obstructive sleep apnea: Estimating prevalence and impact in the United States. Respiratory Medicine. doi.org/10.1016/j.rmed.2025.108348.Obstructive Sleep Apnea. StatPearls.Dr. Suman Paul, MBBS, PhD, consultant respiratory physician located in the UK.Dr. Brooke Judd, MD, Section Chief of Sleep Medicine at Dartmouth Health.Khan, M. A. and Al-Jahdali, H. (2023). The consequences of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance. Neurosciences Journal. 28(2):91-99.Sleep Apnea Headache. Sleep Apnea.Bangash, A., Wajid, F., Poolarcherla, R., et al. (2020). Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Hypertension: A Review of the Relationship and Pathogenic Association.Cureus. 12(5):e8241.Qin, H., Yang, M., Chen, X., et al. (2025). Association between obstructive sleep apnea and female sexual dysfunction: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics. 312(6):1871-1881.Gu, Y., Wu, C. J., Qin, F., et al. (2022). Erectile Dysfunction and Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Review. Frontiers in Psychiatry. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.766639 CPAP Machine. Cleveland Clinic.Hence then, the article about 5 sneaky daytime signs of sleep apnea according to doctors was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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