What is Sleep Apnea?

If you're looking for an answer to the question 'what is sleep apnea?' (sometimes incorrectly spelled as sleep apnia or sleep apena, and known in the UK as sleep apnoea), this is the official definition....

'Sleep Apnea is a serious sleep disorder characterized by frequent interruptions of breathing during sleep.'

Derived from the Greek word 'apnoia', which literally means 'without breath', this sleep disorder actually causes sufferers to repeatedly stop breathing during sleep.

In order to be medically classified as sleep apnea, the 'cessations of sleep' (periods when a suffer seems to be 'holding their breath') must happen at least five times per hour. In reality, many people with this disorder stop breathing between 20 and 60 times an hour!

Not surprisingly, the results of these symptoms is a very poor quality of sleep.

Types of Sleep Apnea

It's only in fairly recent years that research has begun to show that this sleep disorder is a contributing factor in deaths caused many different conditions, illnesses and diseases including high blood pressure, stroke and heart related problems.

To properly answer the question 'what is sleep apnea?', I need to describe the different classifications of this disorder. There are 3 types of sleep apnea -

• Obstructive Sleep Apnea
  This is the most common form, and affects between 12 and 18 million Americans. Obstructive Sleep Apnea happens when the soft tissue at the back of your throat 'collapses' and effectively blocks your airway.


• Central Sleep Apnea
  This type of sleep apnea is less common and happens when the brain fails to send the necessary signals to the muscles and mechanisms that regulate breathing. Basically, your brain 'forgets' to tell your body to breath!


• Mixed Sleep Apnea
  As the name suggests, people with mixed sleep apnea have elements of both OSA and CSA.

The 'Big Picture'

Many sleep apnea sufferers don't realize that they have this disorder because the periods when breathing stops is so short that they barely wake up enough to take a big gasp of air before falling right back asleep.

The only clue they may have to their problem is chronic and unexplained tiredness, even after what they perceive to be a good nights' sleep.

But for their bed partners, the signs are usually LOUD and clear! They can't fail to notice one of the most obvious symptoms of sleep apnea - the extremely loud snoring of their significant other. This cacophony is usually accompanied by choking, gasping or snorting.

They may even be aware of the short period of silence (blessed silence!)which precedes each earth-shattering snore.

Apart from the misery of always feeling exhausted and living under the shadow of sleep deprivation, there are other very serious effects and complications of sleep apnea. They include a much increased risk of high blood pressure, stroke, congestive heart failure, even sudden cardiac arrest.

There are also two different types of sleep apnea that is seen in children, and the causes behind them can range from an immature respiratory system to enlarged tonsils/adenoids. Any signs of this condition in children needs urgent medical evaluation, and you can find out more about pediatric sleep apnea on my page.

If you're diagnosed with a form of sleep apnea there are many treatment options available, including simple lifestyle changes, as well surgical and non-surgical options.

For suffers of sleep apnea, this condition fits the description of a 'silent killer' (of course for those sharing their bed with someone experiencing sleep apnea, it's not silent at all!).

No matter how you found this page, whether by searching for 'sleep apnea, sleep apnia, sleep apena or sleep apnoea', I hope it's been helpful and has answered your question 'what is sleep apnea?'

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