The Greek word "apnea" literally means
"without breath." There are three types of
apnea: obstructive, central, and mixed; of the
three, obstructive is the most common. Despite
the difference in the root cause of each type,
in all three, people with untreated sleep apnea
stop
breathing repeatedly during their sleep,
sometimes hundreds of times during the night and
often for a minute or longer.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is caused by a
blockage of the airway, usually when the soft
tissue in the rear of the throat collapses and
closes during sleep. In central sleep apnea, the
airway is not blocked but the brain fails to
signal the muscles to breathe. Mixed apnea, as
the name implies, is a combination of the two.
With each apnea event, the brain briefly arouses
people with sleep apnea in Sacramento in order for them to
resume breathing, but consequently sleep is
extremely fragmented and of poor quality.
Sleep apnea is very common, as common as adult
diabetes, and affects more than twelve million
Americans, according to the National Institutes
of Health. Risk factors include being male,
overweight, and over the age of forty, but sleep
apnea can strike anyone at any age, even
children. Yet still because of the lack of
awareness by the public and healthcare
professionals, the vast majority remain
undiagnosed and therefore untreated, despite the
fact that this serious disorder can have
significant consequences.
Untreated, sleep apnea can cause high blood
pressure and other cardiovascular disease,
memory problems, weight gain, impotency, and
headaches. Moreover, untreated sleep apnea may
be responsible for job impairment and motor
vehicle crashes. Fortunately, sleep apnea can be
diagnosed and treated. Several treatment options
exist, and research into additional options
continues.
p
breathing repeatedly during their sleep,
sometimes hundreds of times during the night and
often for a minute or longer. 
