What is Sleep Apnea?
An apnea is a “pause” for one or more breaths, lasting as long as 90 seconds or these may occur as many as 100 times an hour, depriving the body of the oxygen needed to regenerate cells. There are two types of sleep apnea and some people have both:
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is most common and is due to a physical block of the airway. The lung muscles work properly, but the blockage is due to a large tongue or increased soft tissue in the upper throat that has collapsed when the throat muscles relax during sleep.
Central Sleep Apnea (CSA) is due to lack of respiratory effort when the brain fails to transmit proper signals to the muscles that control breathing.