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Apnea is a Greek word that means ‘without breath’. Those who suffer from Obstructive Sleep Apnea stop breathing repeatedly during sleep for a minute or longer. This can happen hundreds of times during the night.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea can be caused by a complete obstruction of the airway, which is called obstructive apnea, or a partial obstruction, which is called obstructive hypoapnea. Both of these types of apnea can cause the person to wake-up.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea occurs when the muscles in the back of the throat relax. This causes the airway to narrow or close and stop breathing for a moment as the person breaths in. The brain senses the inability to breath and causes the person to wake-up. This usually happens briefly and the person usually never realizes that it has happened.
The symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnea include loud snoring, periods of not breathing, awakening not rested in the morning, abnormal daytime sleeplessness, including falling asleep at inappropriate times, morning headaches, recent weight gain, limited attention, memory loss, poor judgment, personality changes and lethargy. Other symptoms that may be associated with Obstructive Sleep Apnea are hyperactive behavior (especially in children), high blood pressure, automatic behavior (performing actions by memory without conscious knowledge) and leg swelling if the disorder as become severe.
There are many risk factors for Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Older men who are obese seem to be at higher risk, but 40% of people with the disorder are not obese. Nasal obstruction, large tongue, narrow airway and certain shapes of the palate and jaw may increase the risk. A large neck or collar size is strongly associated with Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OAS) affects more than 18 million people in the United States. There are approximately 5.4 million people who have not been diagnosed with the disorder.
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