A potentially life-threatening sleep disorder, sleep apnea, is characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep. Each pause or episode lasts long enough that one or more breaths are missed.
The pauses occur repeatedly throughout the sleep. There is a minimum of a 10 second interval between the breaths in order to be qualified as sleep apnea.
The sufferer of significant sleep apnea often has five or more pauses per hour. There are three forms of sleep apnea: 1) Central – Breathing is interrupted by lack of effort 2) Obstructive – Breathing is interrupted by a physical blockage to airflow 3) Complex – Interruptions transition between central and obstructive
The pauses can strain the heart and cardiovascular system. This can result in an increased risk for cardiovascular disease because it decreases the blood oxygen levels.
Unlike insomnia sufferers individuals with sleep apnea are usually not even aware of the difficulty - therefore the problem may be present for years before it is recognized as an issue at all. Overtime the sufferer simply becomes accustomed to daytime sleepiness and fatigue that results from the sleep disturbance
