A patient with CSR have frequent arousals from sleep, especially in stages 1 and 2 NREM sleep. These may be detected as awakenings and insomnia, and if they are sufficiently frequent may result in excessive daytime sleepiness. These frequent arousals are associated with an increase in sympathetic activity during sleep. At this time, the patient can have a tachycardia, an increase in cardiac output, a rise in blood pressure and an increase in the cerebral blood flow. If the patient's airway closes during agonal respiration, there may be snoring sounds usually when the upper airway closes towards the end of the apneic episode. This combination is also known as mixed sleep apnea.
 
There is a strong relationship between sleep apnea and obesity. The link is so strong that almost every obese person have at least one symptom of sleep apnea: lound and irregular snoring.  Being overweight often contributes to snoring, since excess fat in the neck area reduces the width of the air passage.