Sleep Medicine
What is sleep apnea?
Sleep apnea is a disorder in which you stop and start breathing (apneas) or experience shallow breathing (hypopneas) during sleep.1 This prevents your body from getting oxygen and interrupts your natural sleep patterns. Sleep apnea is a serious medical condition that can impact your health and well-being. It’s important to know the signs of sleep apnea, if you’re at risk and how to get diagnosed and treated.
Sleep apnea is a medical condition that interrupts your sleep due to muscle contractions in your airway that temporarily cut off your oxygen supply. It causes you to continuously wake up to resume normal breathing throughout the night. People living with sleep apnea may stop breathing and wake up 240 times or more during a full eight hours of sleep.1 As a result, if you suffer from sleep apnea, this lack of sleep often leaves you feeling exhausted, with low energy and craving caffeine during the day.
Types of sleep apnea
Even though sleep apnea is a blanket term, there are actually a few distinct types of sleep apnea:
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)
The most common type of sleep apnea, affecting almost one billion people globally, obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the muscles of the throat relax and narrow, restricting the air going to your lungs.
Central sleep apnea (CSA)
A less common type of sleep apnea, central sleep apnea (CSA), occurs when the brain fails to send a signal to the muscles that control your breathing, resulting in pauses in breathing during sleep.
Complex sleep apnea (TESCA)
Sometimes referred to as treatment-emergent central sleep apnea (TECSA), it is a form of central sleep apnea that emerges during the early stages of treatment for obstructive sleep apnea.
Symptoms of Sleep Apnea
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)
- Loud snoring
- Gasping during sleep
- Choking sensations at night
- Morning headaches
- Dry mouth after waking
- Excessive daytime sleepiness
- Restless sleep
- Difficulty concentrating
- Irritability or mood changes
- Frequent nighttime awakenings
Central Sleep Apnea (CSA)
- Breathing pauses during sleep
- Sudden nighttime awakenings
- Shortness of breath at night
- Difficulty staying asleep
- Daytime fatigue
- Poor concentration
- Morning headaches
- Restless sleep
- Mood changes
- Excessive daytime drowsiness
Complex Sleep Apnea Syndrome
- Persistent breathing pauses
- Interrupted sleep patterns
- Loud snoring
- Gasping during sleep
- Excessive daytime tiredness
- Morning headaches
- Difficulty concentrating
- Frequent awakenings
- Dry mouth on waking
- Trouble staying asleep