Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a sleep disorder where breathing stops frequently during sleep due to airway blockages. Symptoms include loud snoring, choking sounds, and excessive daytime sleepiness. Untreated, it increases the risk of serious health issues like heart attack and diabetes.
Do you feel tired or have a headache when you wake up in the morning? Something might be going wrong while you sleep that you don’t know about: obstructive sleep apnea (pronounced app-nee-uh). The Greek word “apnea” means “without breath.” An apnea is defined as a pause in breathing for at least 10 seconds.
Obstructive sleep apnea, also called OSA, causes you to stop breathing in your sleep for several seconds, up to many times an hour. People diagnosed with OSA have at least five breathing pauses an hour and can have many more. During these breathing pauses, your brain, heart, kidneys, and other essential organs do not get enough oxygen, and carbon dioxide can build up in your body.
When your brain notices there is not enough oxygen and too much carbon dioxide in your body, it sends out a signal to take a breath. You wake up enough to take a few breaths, but not enough to remember it the next morning. This cycle repeats itself many times each night, making you feel tired or exhausted in the morning.
When you have OSA, the apnea is caused by an obstruction or blockage. Usually, the blockage is tongue muscles, soft palate, or parts of your throat that relax too much during sleep a.
