Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep. The most common form, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), occurs when the muscles in the back of the throat relax excessively during sleep, causing the airway to narrow or completely close. When this happens, breathing stops for 10 seconds or longer until the brain detects the drop in oxygen and briefly rouses the sleeper to reopen the airway — often with a gasp, snort, or choking sound.

These breathing interruptions can occur dozens or even hundreds of times per night, severely fragmenting sleep even though most people don't remember waking up. Central sleep apnea, a less common form, occurs when the brain fails to send proper signals to the muscles that control breathing, rather than a physical obstruction of the airway. Some people have a combination of both types.

Sleep apnea is far more common than most people realize — an estimated 30 million Americans have obstructive sleep apnea, but approximately 80% of cases remain undiagnosed. Major risk factors include obesity, male sex, older age, large neck circumference, family history, alcohol use, and smoking.

If you snore loudly, wake up with headaches, feel excessively sleepy during the day despite adequate time in bed, or have been told you stop breathing during sleep, you may have sleep apnea. Getting diagnosed and treated is critically important because untreated sleep apnea substantially increases your risk of serious cardiovascular events and impairs cognitive function, mood, and quality of life.

CPAP therapy, while initially uncomfortable for some users, is highly effective and typically produces dramatic improvements in daytime alertness, energy, mood, and cardiovascular risk within weeks to months of consistent use. Alternative treatments include oral appliances, positional therapy, and in some cases, surgery.