Neuroscience

Sleep apnea symptoms linked to memory and thinking problems

People who experience sleep apnea may be more likely to also have memory or thinking problems, according to a preliminary study that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 76th Annual Meeting taking place ...

Sleep disorders

Researchers explore the science of sleep

In a world first, Australian sleep experts were given just eight weeks to develop and run a sleep treatment program that diagnosed and treated more than 30 volunteers and achieved a success rate greater than 80%

Psychology & Psychiatry

Hope for treating sleep disorders, no pills required

Are sleeping pills the only solution for insomnia? Not according to Flinders University's Dr. Alexander Sweetman, who says that using self-guided digital behavioral therapy is an alternative solution that should be considered.

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

Childhood tonsillectomy not linked to obesity in adulthood

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Soroka University Medical Center researchers have found that tonsillectomy in children with obstructive sleep apnea does not increase the risk of obesity in adulthood.

Health

Does how loud you snore matter to your health?

Snoring is often a sign of a very serious condition known as obstructive sleep apnea, a common disorder marked by loud snoring and stops and restarts in breathing. Until now it was thought that the louder the snore, the worse ...

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Sleep apnea (or sleep apnoea in British English; English pronunciation: /æpˈniːə/) is a sleep disorder characterized by abnormal pauses in breathing or instances of abnormally low breathing, during sleep. Each pause in breathing, called an apnea, can last from a few seconds to minutes, and may occur 5 to 30 times or more an hour. Similarly, each abnormally low breathing event is called a hypopnea. Sleep apnea is diagnosed with an overnight sleep test called a polysomnogram, or "sleep study".

There are three forms of sleep apnea: central (CSA), obstructive (OSA), and complex or mixed sleep apnea (i.e., a combination of central and obstructive) constituting 0.4%, 84% and 15% of cases respectively. In CSA, breathing is interrupted by a lack of respiratory effort; in OSA, breathing is interrupted by a physical block to airflow despite respiratory effort, and snoring is common.

Regardless of type, an individual with sleep apnea is rarely aware of having difficulty breathing, even upon awakening. Sleep apnea is recognized as a problem by others witnessing the individual during episodes or is suspected because of its effects on the body (sequelae). Symptoms may be present for years (or even decades) without identification, during which time the sufferer may become conditioned to the daytime sleepiness and fatigue associated with significant levels of sleep disturbance.

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