Not to play doctor, but I had similar symptoms and finally diagnosed with UARS
(https://stanfordhealthcare.org/medical-conditions/sleep/upper-airway-resistance-syndrome.html)
in an in-clinic sleep study. Before, I had taken an in-home version and my sleep score is too low to be considered sleep apnea and qualify for a CPAP machine. UARS is basically a mini sleep apnea. I never got choked up enough to stop breathing, have a dip in my O2 or wake up in the middle of the night grasping for air. However, I have a lot of "resistance" to breathe such that I wake up with severe sore throat and less restful sleep (but I'm spared from brain damage, increased heart pressure etc. associated with real sleep apnea). The solution is the same, to use a CPAP machine.
Moral of the story is to do in-clinic sleep study to conclusively determine your problem.
Not to play doctor, but I had similar symptoms and finally diagnosed with UARS (https://stanfordhealthcare.org/medical-conditions/sleep/upper-airway-resistance-syndrome.html) in an in-clinic sleep study. Before, I had taken an in-home version and my sleep score is too low to be considered sleep apnea and qualify for a CPAP machine. UARS is basically a mini sleep apnea. I never got choked up enough to stop breathing, have a dip in my O2 or wake up in the middle of the night grasping for air. However, I have a lot of "resistance" to breathe such that I wake up with severe sore throat and less restful sleep (but I'm spared from brain damage, increased heart pressure etc. associated with real sleep apnea). The solution is the same, to use a CPAP machine.
Moral of the story is to do in-clinic sleep study to conclusively determine your problem.