Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea 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 thirty times or more in an hour. You then resume breathing normally again, sometimes accompanied by a loud snort or choking sound.
Sleep apnea is a chronic (on-going) condition that disrupts your sleep. When your breathing pauses or becomes shallow, you move out of deep sleep and into light sleep. This leads to poor quality sleep, which leaves you tired the next day. Sleep apnea is a leading cause of excessive daytime sleepiness.
The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea. In this condition, the airway collapses or becomes blocked during sleep. This causes shallow breathing or breathing pauses. When you try to breathe, any air that squeezes past the blockage can cause loud snoring. Obstructive sleep apnea is more common in people who are overweight, but it can affect anyone.
Another type of sleep apnea is central sleep apnea, which is less common. This disorder occurs if the area of your brain that controls your breathing doesn't send the correct signals to your breathing muscles. As a result, you will make no effort to breathe for brief periods. Central sleep apnea can affect anyone. However, it's more common in people who have certain medical conditions or use certain medicines. Snoring typically does not happen with central sleep apnea.
Complex sleep apnea syndrome or mixed sleep apnea occurs when someone has both obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea.
