Sleeping is one of the most private and personal aspects of living and is an essential requirement to rejuvenate our physical and mental well-being. Your personal sleep style and patterns are individual and probably, accepted as normal for you.

Breathing problems, known as sleep apnea, are a health disorder that can cause more harm than simple fatigue of a poor night of sleep. Sleep apnea is a condition where normal breathing starts and stops erratically, preventing the necessary amount of oxygen from reaching the lungs and traveling through the circulatory system to the brain, heart and body.

During these interruptions, breathing may be insufficient or completely stopped from a few seconds to up to a minute and can happen multiple times per night.

A person experiencing sleep apnea may or may not be aware of their fitful pauses, as they lightly awaken and resettle over and over. They may not connect symptoms such as daytime drowsiness, chronic tiredness, poor concentration, irritability or declining health with their poor quality of sleep.

Those who have bed partners may be told of their loud snoring, gasping, choking sounds or lapses in breathing. Others who sleep alone may discount their poor quality of sleep as unavoidable.

Sleep apnea can and should be treated because its harms range from a possibly shortened lifespan to high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke and Type 2 diabetes. Sleep apnea is also associated with memory loss and poor mental function such as concentration. It can be a driver of depression and anxiety, as well.

Talking with your health care provider is essential if you know or suspect you may have a sleep disorder. They can order diagnostic tests to determine if sleep apnea is occurring, identify what kind of apnea is affecting you and treat you accordingly to improve your oxygen intake. There are generally two kinds of sleep apnea:

• Obstructive sleep apnea( OSA), which is the more common form that occurs when throat muscles relax and block the flow of air into the lungs

• Central sleep apnea( CSA), which occurs when the brain doesn’ t send proper signals to the muscles that control breathing

OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA

The obstruction of OSA is your own mouth and throat structures which relax and drop into the airway, lessening or completely blocking the flow of breath into your lungs until you you are awakened and reposition yourself. Soft tissue from the roof of the back of your mouth may drop and close the airway. In some cases the tongue itself grows lax and creates the blockage.

OURHEALTHNWA. COM 12 AUGUST 2025 | EAR, NOSE & THROAT HEALTH ISSUE