Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing or shallow breaths during sleep. These pauses can last from a few seconds to minutes and can occur multiple times throughout the night. There are primarily three types of sleep apnea:

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA): This is the most common form of sleep apnea. It occurs when the muscles in the back of the throat relax and block the airway during sleep, leading to snoring, gasping, or choking episodes as the body tries to resume normal breathing.

Central Sleep Apnea (CSA): Unlike OSA, CSA is less common and occurs when the brain fails to send signals to the muscles responsible for controlling breathing. This results in interrupted breathing during sleep.

Complex Sleep Apnea Syndrome: This is a combination of both obstructive and central sleep apnea.