All righty, I still owe you guys an update. Turns out I did indeed do fine the night I had the equipment on. The doctor told me I have a “mild predisposition” to get obstructive sleep apnea because of my weight, but he agreed that my recent weight loss (12 kilograms) was probably the cause of the decline in apnea incidences. He did mention that as I get older and things start to loosen up a bit in the throat area, musclewise, my symptoms may increase again. But until then, I should be fine as long as I keep my weight in check.
So, good news, and yet another motivation for me to keep the weight off. 
Is it the case that someone who has had a tonsillectomy is less likely to develop sleep apnea, or are the tonsil and UPPP procedures unrelated?
I should thank thinksnow for the opposite reason- after reading that symptom and predisposition info, I’m not worried that I have it. (In college, a girlfriend told me she’d been very worried the night before, she couldn’t hear me breathing; a health aide mentioned sleep apnea. There weren’t any other similar incidents.)
Yes, I’m male and a little overweight, and apparently I do snore (not too badly), but I’ve never woken up gasping for air, no problems with unrestorative sleep, etc. Thanks for getting the facts out there, it helps people know what to look for.
I think I need to be checked out for this.
Waking up tired? Yup. My sleep patterns are completely out of whack this week; I have been told (on the very rare occaisions someone’s slept near me) that I snore; it definitely affects my work-performance, and I’m somewhat overweight. And I’m 41. I think the problem has gotten worse in the past few years.
I live alone, so there’s no-one who would have a sense of how I sleep on a regular basis.
Question: would snorting through the nore during strong laughter be a symptom of this fleshy airway looseness mentioned upthread? I didn’t used to do this, but now I find myself doing it more and more often.
After a suggestion from my occasional bed sharer, I had a sleep study done when I was home over Thanksgiving break. I have obstructive sleep apnea. I am 20 years old, female, and within the normal BMI for my height (I have never been overweight at all). This is just more proof that sleep apnea affects anyone.
My dad also has sleep apnea, and told me a month or so ago that he doesn’t wear his mask because “it’s uncomfortable”. I flipped out at him and told him he could die. My mom reports that he’s started wearing his mask.
If you suspect sleep apnea in the slightest, go get tested!