Navigating Sleep Apnea: Symptoms and Treatments

A sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing or periods of shallow breathing during sleep.
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Prepared by Lee Cheng, reviewed by Dr. Helena Rodriguez

Sleep Apnea FAQ


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What are the different types of sleep apnea?

The two main types of sleep apnea are obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and central sleep apnea (CSA). In OSA, a narrowing of the airway during sleep leads to breathing disruptions. In CSA, the breathing disruptions are caused by a lack of communication between the brain and the muscles involved in breathing.

What is sleep apnea?

Sleep apnea is a condition that causes you to stop breathing while you’re sleeping. The word “apnea” comes from the Greek word for “breathless.” Sleep apnea happens because you stop breathing in your sleep.

Is sleep apnea dangerous?

Sleep apnea is a dangerous condition because it can cause several different complications, many of which are severe or life-threatening. These include: Heart damage and heart failure. Sleep apnea causes an increase in pressure in the blood vessels around your heart and on some of the chambers of your heart itself.

What are the symptoms of sleep apnea?

Loud snoring. Episodes in which you stop breathing during sleep — which would be reported by another person. Gasping for air during sleep. Awakening with a dry mouth. Morning headache. Difficulty staying asleep, known as insomnia. Excessive daytime sleepiness, known as hypersomnia. Difficulty paying attention while awake.

What are the symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea?

The most common symptoms of obstructive and central sleep apneas include: Loud snoring. Episodes in which you stop breathing during sleep — which would be reported by another person. Gasping for air during sleep. Awakening with a dry mouth. Morning headache. Difficulty staying asleep, known as insomnia.

How does obstructive sleep apnea work?

A nerve stimulator attached to this nerve can stimulate it, pushing your tongue slightly forward when you breathe while you’re sleeping. That keeps your tongue from relaxing and pressing backward on your windpipe while you sleep, which is one of the ways that obstructive sleep apnea happens.

How severe is sleep apnea?

The severity is as follows: Mild sleep apnea: This level means a person has an AHI between 5 and 15. That means they have between 5 and 15 apnea or hypopnea events per hour. However, healthcare providers also consider symptoms at this level. If you don’t have other symptoms, they may not consider it severe enough to treat.

Sleep Apnea References

If you want to know more about Sleep Apnea, consider exploring links below:

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