The Greek word "apnea" literally means "without breath." There are three
types of apnea: obstructive, central, and mixed; of the three, obstructive
is the most common. Despite the difference in the root
cause of each type, in all three, people with untreated sleep apnea stop
breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times during
the night and often for a minute or longer.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is caused by a blockage of the airway, usually
when the soft tissue in the rear of the throat collapses and closes during
sleep. In central sleep apnea, the airway is not blocked but the brain
fails to signal the muscles to breathe. Mixed apnea, as the name
implies, is a combination of the two. With each apnea event, the brain
briefly arouses people with sleep apnea in order for them to resume
breathing, but consequently sleep is extremely fragmented and of poor quality.
Sleep apnea is very common, as common as adult diabetes, and affects
more than twelve million Americans, according to the National Institutes
of Health. Risk factors include being male, overweight, and over the age
of forty, but sleep apnea can strike anyone at any age, even children.
Yet still because of the lack of awareness by
the public and healthcare professionals, the vast majority remain undiagnosed
and therefore untreated, despite the fact that this serious disorder can
have significant consequences.
Untreated, sleep apnea can cause high blood pressure and other cardiovascular
disease, memory problems, weight gain, impotency, and headaches. Moreover,
untreated sleep apnea may be responsible for job impairment and motor vehicle
crashes. Fortunately, sleep apnea can be diagnosed and treated. Several
treatment options exist, and research into additional options continues.
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