What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea (AP-ne-ah) is a common disorder in which you have one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while you sleep. Breathing pauses can last from a few seconds to minutes. They may occur 30 times or more an hour. Typically, normal breathing then starts again, sometimes with a loud snort or choking sound.
Sleep apnea usually is a chronic (ongoing) condition that disrupts your sleep. When your breathing pauses or becomes shallow, you’ll often move out of deep sleep and into light sleep.
As a result, the quality of your sleep is poor, which makes you tired during the day. Sleep apnea is a leading cause of excessive daytime sleepiness.
Untreated sleep apnea can:
Increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, obesity, and diabetes
Increase the risk of, or worsen, heart failure
Make arrhythmias (ah-RITH-me-ahs), or irregular heartbeats, more likely
Increase the chance of having work-related or driving accidents
Sleep apnea is a chronic condition that requires long-term management. Lifestyle changes, mouthpieces, surgery, and breathing devices can successfully treat sleep apnea in many people.
Common symptoms of Sleep Apnea:
Has your partner noticed that you gasp or stop breathing during sleep?
Do you often wake up feeling not refreshed?
Do you sometimes feel excessively sleepy during the day?
Have your energy and motivation levels decreased?
Do you find it difficult to concentrate?
Are you overweight?
Are you a heavy snorer?
Does anyone else in your family have a history of snoring and Sleep Apnea?
If you answered "YES" to any of these questions you may be at a greater risk for Sleep Apnea