If every night of yours gets ruined due to bad sleep, then you may be a victim of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome or OSAS. Sleep apnea disorder is characterized by interrupted breathing during sleep. The name ‘apnea’ is derived from a Greek word apnea, which means, “want of breath”.
There are two types of sleep apnea, central sleep apnea and severe obstructive sleep apnea.Central sleep apnea happens when the brain fails to send proper signals to the respiratory muscles to start respiration. However, this is less common. The most common type of sleep apnea is normal or severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSAS), which occurs when the free airflow is obstructed in the air passage of the person’s nose or mouth.
More on obstructive sleep apnea syndrome
In OSAS usually the airway is obstructed along with reduction in oxygen level. The frequency of breathing pauses or “apnea events” may be as high as 20 to 30 per hour. The person struggles to breath and body gets roused in this process. The partial obstruction of the airway during sleep causes oxyhemoglobin desaturations and loud snoring. The affected person wakes up next day with excessive sleepiness.