What Is Sleep Apnea?
Millions of people suffer from sleep apnea. This common breathing issue causes people to stop breathing repeatedly during sleep because of a complete or partial obstruction of the upper airway. People with sleep apnea would have intermittent gasping, short pauses in their breathing, or loud snoring. When this occurs, the level of oxygen in the blood goes down, the heart rate goes up, and sleep may be disrupted. Each episode may last around 10 seconds and would happen so many times during the night. If left treated, sleep apnea may reduce sleep quality and lead to other health issues in the long term. [1]