Common symptoms of<unk>  syndrome include unexplained daytime sleepiness, restless sleep, and loud snoring (with periods of silence followed by gasps). Less common symptoms are morning headaches; insomnia; trouble concentrating; mood changes such as irritability, anxiety, and depression; forgetfulness; increased heart rate or blood pressure; decreased sex drive; unexplained weight gain; increased urinary frequency or nocturia; frequent heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux; and heavy night sweats. Many people experience episodes of<unk>  for only a short period. This can be the result of an upper respiratory infection that causes nasal congestion, along with swelling of the throat, or tonsillitis that temporarily produces very enlarged tonsils. The Epstein-Barr virus, for example, is known to be able to dramatically increase the size of lymphoid tissue during acute infection, and<unk>  is fairly common in acute cases of severe infectious mononucleosis. Temporary spells of<unk>  syndrome may also occur in individuals who are under the influence of a drug (such as alcohol) that may relax their body tone excessively and interfere with normal arousal from sleep mechanisms. Adults The hallmark symptom of<unk>  syndrome in adults is excessive daytime sleepiness. Typically, an adult or adolescent with severe long-standing<unk>  will fall asleep for very brief periods in the course of usual daytime activities if given an opportunity to sit or rest. This behavior may be quite dramatic, sometimes occurring during conversations with others at social gatherings. The hypoxia (absence of oxygen supply) related to<unk>  may cause changes in the neurons of the hippocampus and the right frontal cortex. Research using neuro-imaging revealed evidence of hippocampal atrophy in people suffering from<unk> . They found that<unk>  can cause problems in mentally manipulating non-verbal information, in executive functions and working memory. This repeated brain hypoxia is also considered to be a cause of Alzheimer's disease. Diagnosis of<unk>  is significantly more common among people in relationships, who are alerted to their condition by being informed by their sleeping partner since individuals with<unk>  are often unaware of the condition. There is a stigma associated with loud snoring, and it is not considered a feminine trait. Consequently, females are less likely to be told by their partners that they snore, or to admit it to themselves or doctors. Furthermore, CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machines are also perceived negatively by females, and less likely to be utilized to their full extent in this group. Children Although this so-called "hypersomnolence" (excessive sleepiness) may also occur in children, it is not at all typical of young children with sleep<unk> . Toddlers and young children with severe<unk>  instead ordinarily behave as if "over-tired" or "hyperactive"; and usually<unk> r to have behavioral problems like irritability, and a deficit in attention. Adults and children with very severe<unk>  also differ in typical body habitus. Adults are generally heavy, with particularly short and heavy necks. Young children, on the other hand, are generally not only thin but may have "failure to thrive", where growth is reduced. Poor growth occurs for two reasons: the work of breathing is intense enough that calories are burned at high rates even at rest, and the nose and throat are so obstructed that eating is both tasteless and physically uncomfortable.<unk>  in children, unlike adults, is often caused by<unk>  tonsils and adenoids and may sometimes be cured with tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. This problem can also be caused by excessive weight in children. In this case, the symptoms are more like the symptoms adults feel such as restlessness, exhaustion, etc. If adenotonsillar hypertrophy remains the most common cause of<unk>  in children, obesity can also play a role in the pathophysiology of upper airway obstruction during sleep which can lead to<unk> , making obese children more likely to develop the condition. The recent epidemic increase of obesity prevalence has thus contributed to changes in the prevalence and in the characteristics of pediatric<unk> , the severity of<unk>  being proportional to the degree of obesity. Obesity leads to the narrowing of upper airway structure due to fatty infiltration and fat deposits in the anterior neck region and cervical structures. Alongside with the additional weight loading on the respiratory system, it increases the risk of pharyngeal collapsibility while reducing the intrathoracic volume and diaphragm excursion. Moreover, excessive daytime sleepiness resulting from sleep fragmentation can decrease physical activity and thus lead to weight gain (by sedentary habits or increased food intake to overcome somnolence). The obesity-related obstruction of upper airway structure has led some authors to distinguish between two types of<unk>  in children: type I is associated with marked lymphadenoid hypertrophy without obesity and type II is first associated with obesity and with milder upper airway lymphadenoid hyperplasia. The two types of<unk>  in children can results in different morbidities and consequences. Studies have shown that weight loss in obese adolescents can reduce sleep<unk>  and thus the symptoms of<unk> .
Obstructive sleep apnea
Sleep apnea
Central sleep apnea
Obesity hypoventilation syndrome
Hyperventilation syndrome
Sleep-related breathing disorder
Central hypoventilation syndrome
Reactive airway disease