The most common sleep disorder is obstructive sleep apnea which is a respiratory disorder characterized by shallow breathing or cessation of breathing during sleep. 
According to the National Center on Sleep Disorders, sleep disorders affect Americans of all ages, including about 25% of children between the ages of 1 and 5 years and approximately 50% of adults over the age of 65. Although it most commonly affects middle-aged and older adults, anyone can develop obstructive sleep apnea. It is estimated that as many as 18 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea, yet up to 95% of these cases go undiagnosed and untreated.
Obstructive sleep apnea is a disorder in which muscles relax during sleep, causing the soft tissue in the back of the throat to collapse and block the upper airway, momentarily cutting off breathing.
The most noticeable sign of obstructive sleep apnea is loud snoring. As the upper airway collapses, breathing becomes more difficult and noisy (snoring). Many people don't think of snoring as a sign of something potentially serious, and not everyone who snores has obstructive sleep apnea. However, obstructive sleep apnea can be a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep.
For a person with sleep apnea, breathing stops from 10 to 60 seconds at a time, and these attacks can occur up to 120 times per hour during sleep. As a result, oxygen levels in the bloodstream fall, which in turn may lead to high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack and/or abnormal heart rhythms. If breathing stops for even 5 to 10 times per hour, the health consequences may be severe.
When breathing becomes impaired, the brain responds to the lack of oxygen by arousing the body from sleep which restores normal breathing. You can awaken abruptly with a transient shortness of breath that corrects itself quickly. You may also make a snorting, choking or gasping sound upon awakening. This pattern can repeat itself five to 30 times or more each hour, all night long. As a result of these disruptions, your ability to reach the desired deep, restful phases of sleep is impaired, leading to excessive daytime sleepiness.
Other signs and symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea may include awakening with a dry mouth or a sore throat, morning headache, or becoming drowsy or falling asleep while driving.
Anyone can develop obstructive sleep apnea. However, certain factors put you at increased risk, including:
- Obesity: More than half of patients with obstructive sleep apnea are overweight. Fat deposits around the upper airway, obstructing the airway and impairing breathing.However, not everyone who has obstructive sleep apnea is overweight. Thin people can develop the disorder as well.
- Diabetes: Obstructive sleep apnea is three times more common in people who have diabetes.
- High blood pressure: Nearly 50% of people with sleep apnea also have hypertension.
- Anatomical features: Narrow throat, large tonsils or adenoids, large neck circumference
- Nasal congestion. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs twice as often in those who have consistent nasal congestion at night.
- Smoking and alcohol consumption
Persons most likely to develop sleep apnea include those who snore loudly and are overweight, have high blood pressure, or have a physical abnormality of the nose, throat or other parts of the upper airway.
Obstructive sleep apnea is considered a serious medical condition. Complications may include:
- Cardiovascular problems. Sudden drops in blood oxygen levels that occur during obstructive sleep apnea increase blood pressure and strain the cardiovascular system, which raises the risk of coronary artery disease, heart failure and stroke. The more severe the obstructive sleep apnea, the greater the risk of high blood pressure. Especially if there is underlying heart disease, these repeated multiple episodes of low blood oxygen could lead to sudden death.
- Motor vehicle accidents and occupational accidents: People with sleep apnea are at twice the risk of having a traffic accident.
- Cancer: Patients with severe sleep apnea are 4 to 5 times more likely to develop cancer than those who do not have the sleep disorder.
- Diabetes
- Memory decline and dementia
- Depression
There are several ways to treat sleep apnea including CPAP therapy which utilizes a CPAP device to keep the airway open or oral appliance therapy which involves the use of an oral appliance to thrust the jaw forward during sleep. Certain lifestyle and behavioral changes, as for example, weight loss, may also alleviate the condition as well as surgery.
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