During an apnea episode, your breathing stops for at least 10 seconds preventing you from getting enough oxygen to the body. This triggers alarms in your brain causing you to briefly arouse in order to reopen your airway and gasp for breath.

A loud snore or snort usually accompanies the reopening of the airway, then normal breathing resumes until you relax into sleep again and the process repeats itself.

People who suffer from sleep apnea stop breathing many times during the night. In order to meet the medical definition, you must have at least 5 of these apnea episodes an hour. Many apnea sufferers have several hundred episodes every night without realizing what is happening.

Worried or frustrated bed partners often bring symptoms of apnea to the attention of a physician, after they have observed their partner stop breathing or snore loudly night after night.

Sleep apnea is potentially dangerous because it often results in a significant drop in blood oxygen levels causing a rise in blood pressure.  These repeated episodes of apnea put strain on the heart and lungs causing nightly stress to these vital organs when the body should be resting.

Sleep apnea also leads to excessive daytime sleepiness and complaints of non-restorative sleep. Each apnea causes the brain to briefly awaken to reopen the airway. This can lead to fragmented sleep patterns, periods of insomnia and continued exhaustion upon waking in the morning, despite a full night dedicated to sleep.

 

Risks Associated with Sleep Apnea:

Developing cardiovascular disease

Stroke

Memory loss and unusual forgetfulness

Poor work performance

Increase in irritably and strain on relationships due to sleep loss.

Depression

Work and roadway accidents

(Do you have any of the following symptoms?)

• Excessive daytime sleepiness
• Loud snoring or frequent loud snorts.
• Gasping or choking during sleep
• Wake up with a dry mouth and throat
• Wake up with headaches
• Depression and increased irritability
• Frequent waking throughout the night
• Restlessness during sleep
• Obesity
• Large neck or receding chin.
• High blood pressure