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.

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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.

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Common symptoms of Sleep Apnea:

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• 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?

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If you answered "YES" to any of these questions you may be at a greater risk for Sleep Apnea