Anything that prevents normal sleep is a sleeping disorder. If you suffer from a sleeping disorder, you are not alone. The National Institutes of Health estimate that over 12 million Americans, young and old, suffer from apnea.

Apnea, from the Greek word meaning “without breath,” causes pauses in breathing during sleep, sometimes for over 20 seconds or longer several hundred times per night. When severe, apnea may result in an incomplete night of sleep, and the person may feel sleepy the rest of the day. The lack of sleep may affect performance at school and work. Other than symptoms of drowsiness, the person may not even know that they suffer from apnea, but may be alerted to loud snoring by a partner or family member.

Typically, apnea is classified into one of three types: 

• Obstructive 
• Central 
• Mixed (a combination of obstructive and central types)

Your doctor may recommend you for a sleep study to better understand the nature of your sleep disorder.

Obstructive Apnea

The most common form of apnea, obstructive apnea is most caused by blockage of the back of the nose and throat area while the patient is asleep. This causes the patient to stop breathing periodically. Obstructive apnea can occur in adults and children, and more commonly in men than in women. Other symptoms of the obstructive apnea include: 

• Snoring 
• Gasping for air 
• Restless sleep 
• Sleeping in unusual positions

Central Apnea

Unlike obstructive apnea which is caused by blockages in the airways, central apnea may be due to neurological causes. In addition, while untreated obstructive apnea may lead to heart disease, central apnea may be a result of heart disease. The patient’s brain is unable to control breathing normally. Therefore, treatments for central apnea focus on treating the neurological causes rather than just keeping the airways open.

Mixed Apnea

As its name implies, mixed apnea is a combination of obstructive and central apnea, meaning it may be a result of blockages in the airways and neurological factors.