Sleep Apnea
Overview
Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder where breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep. If you snore loudly and feel tired even after a full night's sleep, you might have sleep apnea.
The main types of sleep apnea are
Types of Sleep Apnea
- 01
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)
which is the more common form that occurs when throat muscles relax and block the flow of air into the lungs
- 02
Central sleep apnea (CSA)
which occurs when the brain doesn't send proper signals to the muscles that control breathing
- 03
Treatment-emergent central sleep apnea
complex sleep apnea, which happens when someone has OSA — diagnosed with a sleep study — that converts to CSA when receiving therapy for OSA
Symptoms of Sleep Apnea
- Loud snoring
- Episodes of stopped breathing during sleep
- Gasping for air during sleep
- Morning headache
- Excessive daytime sleepiness
- Difficulty concentrating
- Irritability
Causes and Risk Factors
- Being overweight
- Having a large neck circumference
- A narrowed airway
- Being male
- Older age
- Family history
- Use of alcohol, sedatives, or tranquilizers
- Smoking
- Nasal congestion