Sleep apnea is a condition characterized by frequent pauses in breathing during the night, ranging from 40-100+ times. These interruptions in breathing cause temporary awakenings to resume breathing, disrupting your sleep without you even realizing in the morning.
There are three types of sleep apnea:
- Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) - An obstruction in your airway hinders your ability to breathe, as the back of your throat collapses and blocks the passage of air.
- Central sleep apnea (CSA) – the brain fails to transmit accurate signals to the muscles responsible for regulating breathing.
- Complex sleep apnea – you exhibit traits of both OSA and CSA.
Over time, sleep deprivation caused by sleep apnea can shorten overall life expectancy, lower overall life quality, and initiate or worsen other medical conditions. Therefore, identifying risks for OSA is important for prevention or improvement of OSA symptoms.