Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep disorder in which breathing frequently stops while sleeping. It happens because your upper airway muscles relax and cause a blockage in the back of your throat. This makes it very difficult for air to pass through, and leads to breathing cessation. Then, you wake up to start breathing again, interrupting your sleep. However, you are unaware that you continue waking up throughout the night to begin breathing again, and are just tired but unsure why.
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that impacts your ability to breathe during the night. Although discussed as a part of adult health, children could also be at risk for sleep apnea. It's important that you recognize if your child has sleep apnea and get them the proper help as proper oxygenation and quality sleep is important for their growth and development.
Obstructive sleep apnea is a sleep disorder and potentially serious medical condition. OSA causes you to stop breathing for 20+ seconds many times throughout the night, anywhere from 40 to hundreds of times. Each time you stop breathing you rouse yourself out of sleep to begin breathing again. However, this process is subconscious, and prevents you from entering the deep, restorative stages of sleep. In the morning you will not remember rousing, though you will certainly feel the effects of not having any restful sleep!
The reason OSA causes you to stop breathing is because your throat becomes obstructed:
Each blockage/arousal cycle is called an apnea or apnea event. OSA can lead to moderate or catastrophic sleep deprivation, with well-known medical side effects.
OSA can be mild, moderate or severe depending on how many apneas you experience.