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An estimated one in every 30 to 50 adults has sleep apnea, a condition in which breathing is repeatedly interrupted during sleep. In one form of sleep apnea, called obstructive sleep apnea, the muscles that hold open the airway relax, causing the breathing passage to collapse. When oxygen levels in the blood become too low, the person wakes briefly to take a gasping breath, which sounds like a loud snort. People with this condition do not remember these short awakenings and often assume that they have slept through the night. As a result they may not understand why they develop excessive daytime sleepiness.
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Sleep apnea, courtesy of Michael M. Stevenson, Ph.D., DABSM, Clinical Director, Comprehensive Sleep Disorders Institute. All rights reserved.
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