10 Common Sleep Disorders
Common Sleep Disorder #4: Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that presents with breathing pauses during sleep. Some cases of obstructive sleep apnea can be extremely serious and lead to inadequate oxygen in the brain, irregular heart beat or even death. Obstructive sleep apnea also increases the risk of high blood pressure, heart attacks and stroke.
Sleep apnea occurs when muscular relaxation causes the structures in the upper respiratory tract including the throat and back of the mouth to constrict and cause resistance to the passage of air to the lungs. Sleep apnea is a major cause of snoring. In the case of obstructive sleep apnea, the airway is momentarily blocked, which causes a pause in breathing. The pause is broken when the brain sends a signal to restart breathing. These breathing pauses occur throughout the night and incrementally lead to inadequate sleep.
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