Overview
Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition in which the upper airway repeatedly collapses during sleep, causing breathing to stop and start many times a night. These pauses lower oxygen levels and fragment sleep, often without the person fully waking. Over time, untreated sleep apnea raises the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and daytime accidents.
Symptoms
- Loud, chronic snoring
- Witnessed pauses in breathing during sleep
- Gasping or choking awakenings
- Excessive daytime sleepiness
- Morning headaches
- Difficulty concentrating and irritability
- Waking unrefreshed
Causes & risk factors
- Excess weight and obesity
- Naturally narrow airway or large tonsils
- Being male and increasing age
- Family history
- Alcohol or sedative use before bed
- Nasal congestion or structural blockage
- Smoking
Treatment & self-care
Care begins with a sleep assessment, often an overnight sleep study, to confirm the diagnosis and gauge severity. Treatment commonly involves weight management, positional and lifestyle changes, a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device, oral appliances, or in selected cases surgery, all guided by a sleep clinician.
See a doctor urgently if
- You snore loudly and feel very sleepy during the day
- A partner notices you stop breathing or gasp during sleep
- You fall asleep unintentionally, for example while driving or at work
- You have sleep apnea alongside high blood pressure, heart disease or diabetes