Diseases & Conditions
Sleep apnea is possibly the most commonly seen of all sleep disorders and affects in the region of eighteen million people in the US. A sleeping disorder which is characterized by broken breathing during sleep, sleep apnea is also undeniably the most dangerous of sleeping disorders because it starves the brain of essential oxygen and sometimes proves fatal.
Never ignore professional medical advice in seeking treatment. If you think you may have a medical emergency, immediately call your doctor or dial 118.
Medical Condition Description
There are two totally distinct forms of sleep apnea. Central sleep apnea is in essence a neurological disorder where breathing is broken as a result of signals sent out by the brain. Obstructive sleep apnea by contrast is in essence a mechanical problem where the windpipe is blocked either by too much tissue or by the unusual relaxation or collapse of the muscles around the windpipe. In both cases however the results are essentially identical with recurrent interruptions to normal breathing that deprive the brain of oxygen and put sufferers at greater risk from such things as high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke.
