What
Is
Sleep
Apnea?
Sleep
apnea
is a
common
disorder
that
can
be
very
serious.
In
sleep
apnea,
your
breathing
stops
or
gets
very
shallow
while
you
are
sleeping.
Each
pause
in
breathing
typically
lasts
10
to
20
seconds
or
more.
These
pauses
can
occur
20
to
30
times
or
more
an
hour.
The
most
common
type
of
sleep
apnea
is
obstructive
sleep
apnea.
During
sleep,
enough
air
cannot
flow
into
your
lungs
through
your
mouth
and
nose
even
though
you
try
to
breathe.
When
this
happens,
the
amount
of
oxygen
in
your
blood
may
drop.
Normal
breaths
then
start
again
with
a
loud
snort
or
choking
sound.
When
your
sleep
is
upset
throughout
the
night,
you
can
be
very
sleepy
during
the
day.
With
sleep
apnea,
your
sleep
is
not
restful
because:
- These brief episodes of increased airway resistance (and breathing pauses) occur many times.
- You may have many brief drops in the oxygen levels in your blood.
- You move out of deep sleep and into light sleep several times during the night, resulting in poor sleep quality.
People
with
sleep
apnea
often
have
loud
snoring.
However,
not
everyone
who
snores
has
sleep
apnea.
Some
people
with
sleep
apnea
don’t
know
they
snore.
- Sleep apnea happens more often in people who are overweight, but even thin people can have it.
- Most people don’t know they have sleep apnea. They don’t know that they are having problems breathing while they are sleeping.
- A family member and/or bed partner may notice the signs of sleep apnea first.
Untreated
sleep
apnea
can
increase
the
chance
of
having
high
blood
pressure
and
even
a
heart
attack
or
stroke.
Untreated
sleep
apnea
can
also
increase
the
risk
of
diabetes
and
the
risk
for
work-related
accidents
and
driving
accidents.
February
2006
References
U.S.
Department
of
Health
&
Human
Services:
National
Institute
of
Health.
Diseases
&
Conditions.
Retrieved
Aug.
21,
2006
from
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/index.htm.
Photos
courtesy
of
Respironics. |
