Hi All...
I'm a 23 year old average weight female and i've had these stop-breathing-and-wake-up-with-a-jerk episodes for about six years now. Not throughout though, I haven't had them in a looong time and they came back the day before yesterday. I just found out what they are called from the internet today. I thought it was all in my head and I never thought to go to a doctor or anything. I have some questions and I would really appreciate it if any of you could answer because I live in a third world country and health care is not really up to par.
1) I don't have the other symptoms like sleepiness in the morning, snoring (as far as i know), memory loss (so far), so I wonder if mine is different and psychological. Could anyone help me with this?
2) I don't know what kind of doctor I should go to, and I don't think they have the tests in this country(Ethiopia), what should i do?
3) Is there anything particular that triggers sleep apnea, cause i've been stressed lately?
4) Is it serious if it happens everyday or is it serious regardless? :unsure:

Thank you for your time.

Welcome to Apnea Board, Sam.

I suggest that you look for a board-certified sleep specialist. I don't know how to find one in Africa, but I would suggest contacting the closest hospital and asking them to refer you to someone. The hospital itself may have a sleep medicine center.

Sleep Apnea is a potentially life-threatening disorder and I would strongly suggest you follow up with a specialist whether or not you are suffering from all of the symptoms you've described.

Good luck, and be sure to let us know how it goes!

Carl