Contributed by Kendra Dombrowski
This article is for educational purposes only and is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional with questions about sleep apnea or any other medical condition.
Sleep apnea is a disorder where you temporarily stop breathing at various points throughout the night. The events can cause you to frequently awaken during the night, leading you to feel tired and low energy the next day. Most people don’t realize they have sleep apnea because the signs can be subtle. Understanding what sleep apnea is, why it happens, and how it impacts your health is the first step toward more restful nights and better days.
Key Takeaways
- Sleep apnea often goes unnoticed, but it can be dangerous. Millions of people are living with it and don’t know they have it, putting their heart, metabolism, and mood at risk.
- It’s not just snoring; it’s interrupted breathing. Repeated pauses in breathing can starve the body of oxygen hundreds of times a night.
- For some, sleeping position makes it worse. Lying on your back can trigger more breathing blockages than sleeping on your side.
- Sleep apnea is highly treatable. From CPAP and oral devices to new smart therapies, help is available for every level of severity.
Sleep apnea is more common than most people realize
Why do some people wake up feeling exhausted even after what should have been a full night’s rest? For millions of people worldwide, the culprit may be sleep apnea, a sleep disorder that deprives the body and brain of the oxygen they need for brief periods of time throughout the night. Left untreated, sleep apnea can take a serious toll on health, raising the risk of heart disease and metabolic health problems, and can lead to early death (ref).
Sleep apnea is estimated to affect over 80 million (~30%) of adults in the United States (ref), but the American Academy of Sleep Medicine estimates that approximately 80% of those cases are undiagnosed (ref). Awareness is crucial: recognizing the signs of sleep apnea is the first step toward diagnosis, treatment, and better sleep.
In sleep apnea, breathing pauses interfere with restful sleep
Sleep apnea is characterized by repeated breathing interruptions during sleep. These breathing interruptions are classified into two main categories: apneas and hypopneas. Apneas are a complete stop in breathing, whereas hypopneas are shallow breaths that decrease the oxygen levels in your blood (ref). Together, these two breathing disturbances make up your Apnea-Hypopnea Index, or AHI, which is the average number of apnea & hypopnea events you experience per hour. Moderate sleep apnea is typically 15 or more events per hour, whereas more than 30 events per hour indicates severe sleep apnea.
The most common form of the disorder is Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), in which the upper airway muscles relax too much during sleep, causing the tongue and soft palate to collapse and block the airway. Some people’s OSA gets worse when they lie on their back instead of their side. The other predominant form is Central Sleep Apnea (CSA), where the brain fails to send proper signals to the airway muscles, resulting in interrupted breathing (ref).
Why it matters: the hidden health toll
It’s important to diagnose sleep apnea because the long-term risks of not getting it treated can be serious. Each night of disrupted breathing stresses the cardiovascular system, raising blood pressure and increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke (ref, ref). Sleep apnea can also affect how the body processes energy, making it harder to manage blood sugar, therefore increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes and weight gain (ref). It has equally important effects on mental health, with higher rates of depression, anxiety, and mood instability among those affected (ref).
Getting diagnosed is easier than you might think
Doctors first screen for OSA risk using a survey that asks about your snoring, daytime grogginess, nighttime breathing interruptions, blood pressure, and body size. These questions help flag common causes and risk factors. Although OSA is caused by airway anatomy, the risk of developing sleep apnea can increase with certain lifestyle factors, like excess weight, regular smoking, alcohol consumption, and a sedentary lifestyle. Risk also increases with age, being male or a postmenopausal female, and having conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease. Do you want to screen yourself? Complete the screening survey here.
If a patient’s OSA risk is high in a screening questionnaire, the next step is to confirm the diagnosis by using an overnight sleep study. Typically, this involves using a portable device called a Home Sleep Test (HST) to measure breathing and blood oxygen levels during sleep. This sleep study will tell the doctor not only the type of sleep apnea a patient has, but also how severe it is.
Classifying sleep apnea severity is key to identifying the most appropriate treatment. Based on the results of the overnight sleep study, a diagnosis can be made using these scoring guidelines:
Treatment options are expanding to fit every need
The goal of treatment is to keep your airway open while you sleep. People with moderate or severe sleep apnea usually need treatment, though even mild cases can sometimes benefit if symptoms like tiredness or high blood pressure are showing up.
The most common and effective therapy for moderate to severe OSA is Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), a device that gently delivers air through a mask to prevent airway collapse. While highly effective, some people find CPAP uncomfortable or noisy, leading to interest in alternatives such as oral appliances that reposition the jaw, positional therapy to discourage back-sleeping, and weight management strategies. In more complex cases, surgical procedures may be considered to remove or stiffen tissue in the airway in an attempt to keep it permanently open.
Newer technologies, including adaptive pressure machines, implantable nerve stimulators, and smart home monitoring systems, are making treatment more personalized and easier to maintain. Artificial intelligence is also starting to play a role in understanding sleep health. Machine learning tools can now analyze breathing patterns to detect possible apnea events and help users seek treatment. These innovations are transforming sleep apnea care from a clinic-centered process to one that can adapt to individual nightly needs.
The bottom line: sleep apnea is common, manageable, and worth addressing
Sleep apnea is more than just snoring; it’s a barrier to healthy, restorative sleep and long-term health. The good news? It’s treatable, and research is expanding our understanding of how to detect and manage it with personalized care.
