Sleep apnea is tough to diagnose on one's own, so a sleep partner or other observer should look for symptoms. The most common symptoms are loud, chronic snoring, choking, snorting and gasping during sleep and brief and frequent cessation of breathing. Sufferers also experience extreme sleepiness during the day, no matter how long they sleep at night. Other symptoms include waking with a dry mouth or sore throat, morning headaches and frequent nighttime awakenings.