The most common type is obstructive sleep apnea. It causes your airway to collapse or become blocked during sleep. Normal breathing starts again with a snort or choking sound. People with sleep apnea often snore loudly. However, not everyone who snores has sleep apnea.
You are more at risk for sleep apnea if you are overweight, male, or have a family history or small airways. Children with enlarged tonsils may also get it.
Doctors diagnose sleep apnea based on medical and family histories, a physical exam, and sleep study results.
When your sleep is interrupted throughout the night, you can be drowsy during the day. People with sleep apnea are at higher risk for car crashes, work-related accidents, and other medical problems. If you have it, it is important to get treatment. Lifestyle changes, mouthpieces, surgery, and breathing devices can treat sleep apnea in many people.
Untreated OSA has been shown to be associated with an increased risk of each of the following:
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Damage to the arteries which carry blood and oxygen to the tissues of the body
- Progressive heart enlargement and eventual heart failure
- Stroke
- Coronary artery disease and heart attack
- Heart rhythm disturbances including atrial fibrillation
- Pulmonary hypertension
- Problems with blood sugar control (including diabetes mellitus)
- Problems with appetite control