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| Sleep Disorder |
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| Sleep Links |
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Sleep Apnea
What is sleep apnea?
Obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, is a sleep related breathing disorder that causes your body to stop breathing during sleep. OSA occurs when the tissue in the back of the throat collapses and blocks the airway. This keeps air from getting in to the lungs. This is a very common sleep disorder.
It happens because the muscles inside the throat relax as you sleep. Gravity then causes the tongue to fall back and block the airway. Blockage of the airway can happen a few times a night or several hundred times per night.
Signs and symptoms that can alert you to sleep apnea are
- Frequent cessation of breathing (apnea) during sleep. Your sleep partner may notice repeated silences from your side of the bed.
- Choking, gasping, or gagging during sleep to get air into the lungs
- Loud snoring
- Waking up sweating during the night
- Feeling unrefreshed in the morning after a night’s sleep
- Headaches upon awakening
- Daytime sleepiness, including falling asleep at inappropriate times, such as during driving or at work
- Lethargy
- Rapid weight gain
- Memory loss and learning difficulties
- Short attention span
- Poor judgment
- Depression
- Personality changes
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