Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive Sleep Apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly starts and stops during sleep. It occurs when the throat muscles intermittently relax and block the upper airway, so the body is starved of oxygen again and again through the night.

Patients with sleep apnea can stop breathing up to hundreds of times per evening, for periods ranging from 5 seconds to over a minute. While breathing is stopped and oxygen is restricted to the heart and brain, an increased heart rate causes the body to momentarily wake. This disruption is what causes the excessive daytime drowsiness and exhaustion patients feel.

If left untreated, the constant strain placed on the heart and brain — coupled with poor sleep quality — can result in serious and dangerous complications to your overall health.