If you have snoring that disrupts your sleep, pauses in breathing or feel tired even after a full night’s rest, it could be signs of obstructive sleep apnea symptoms. There are also several ways to treat it. People with obstructive sleep apnea often have severe daytime fatigue and are easily irritable and quick to anger. They may have trouble concentrating, fall asleep in front of the TV or at work and drive recklessly.

1. Nausea

People with sleep apnea often have episodes of stopping and starting their breathing while they sleep. Those episodes, called apneic events, usually last 10 seconds or more. They can happen many times during the night and cause problems like irritability, mood changes, difficulty concentrating and fatigue. Untreated, these problems can lead to long-term health conditions, including heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.

Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type, and it happens when muscle tissues relax and close off the airway. Central sleep apnea is less common and occurs when the brain fails to send signals to the muscles that control breathing.

A doctor will consider your symptoms and may suggest a sleep study to find out how much oxygen is flowing. This can be done at a sleep clinic or at home, using equipment that monitors your heart rate, blood oxygen levels and breathing patterns.

2. Frequent urination

The heart works overtime during sleep apnea, trying to compensate for the lack of oxygen and the choking sensations. This can lead to high blood pressure, heart attacks and stroke.

Frequent trips to the bathroom at night — a condition called nocturia — is common in people with obstructive sleep apnea, Dasgupta says. It can also be a sign of diabetes, high blood pressure, certain medications, enlarged prostate, cancer or other health conditions.

If you notice that you need to visit the restroom several times a night, keep track of how often it happens and how much urine is produced. Then bring the record to your health care provider. This can help you and your health care provider find the right treatment for your nocturia.

3. Dry mouth

Waking up with a dry mouth or throat is a common sleep apnea symptom because of the way sleep apnea affects your mouth and throat. It happens because sleep apnea makes you breathe with your mouth open, which can dry out the tissues.

Feeling extremely tired during the day, even after a full night’s sleep. Excessive daytime drowsiness can cause problems when driving or performing other tasks that require mental concentration.

Waking up repeatedly in the night with a feeling that you can’t catch your breath. This can happen when you have central sleep apnea with Cheyne-Stokes breathing, which involves periods of rapid and shallow breathing that alternate with reductions or pauses in breathing. You may also wake up with a headache. It’s often caused by poor oxygen flow to the brain during sleep apnea episodes.

4. Drowsiness

People with obstructive sleep apnea wake up 30 times or more every hour during REM and Stages 1 and 2. This disrupts deep, restful sleep and can make people feel tired or groggy when they awaken.

These repeated interruptions in breathing cause a lack of oxygen, which makes the body prone to chronic, life-threatening heart problems like arrhythmias. The irregular rhythms can cause blood to pool and linger in the upper left part of the heart, a condition called atrial fibrillation, which increases your risk for stroke and sudden death.

Drowsiness is a common symptom of sleep apnea, especially if you have the type that causes choking sensations in the throat. You may also notice a sore throat or a dry mouth. You might also have a hard time falling asleep or you may wake up several times during the night, even though you don’t remember why you woke up or why you slept so poorly.

5. Heartburn

When a sleep disorder such as obstructive sleep apnea is present, acid reflux is also more likely to occur. Acid reflux occurs when the esophageal sphincter doesn’t close properly and allows stomach contents to enter the throat. This can lead to a burning sensation and a sour taste in the mouth. GERD, or chronic acid reflux, can make it hard to get a good night’s sleep.

If you snore loudly or have pauses in your breathing while asleep, you may be suffering from obstructive sleep apnea. Symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea are often overlooked, so you should talk to your healthcare provider about obtaining a diagnostic test. The test will allow your healthcare provider to evaluate your snoring, breathing and heart rate while you are sleeping at home.