What is Sleep Apnea?

Here's the short answer to the question 'what is sleep apnea?' -

Now, it might not sound threatening when put this way, but sleep apnea is in fact a very dangerous disorder, which left untreated can cause all kinds of serious health issues.

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 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, this results in very poor quality sleep.

Types of Sleep Apnea

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.

What Next?

That's an easy one...... see your doctor!

Sleep apnea can only be definitively diagnosed by a doctor. He will take a full medical history, do a physical exam and refer you to a 'sleep lab' to undergo a sleep study (also known as a polysomnography).

Don't worry, it won't hurt! It just means that you'll spend a night being closely monitored as you sleep so that your brainwaves, heart rhythms and breathing patterns can be studied.

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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