Sleep ApneaRockville, MD
Did you know that up to 85% of adults say they have trouble sleeping at night? Nearly half of us fall asleep somewhere that isn’t our bed at least once a week. One of the main causes of sleep trouble in America is sleep apnea. Sleep
apnea is a breathing disorder that affects 6%-8% of the population. There are two main types of sleep apnea: obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is more common than central sleep apnea
and is characterized by breathing interruptions during sleep due to a collapsed or obstructed upper airway. Central sleep apnea occurs when the brain does not send the proper signals to the muscles that control breathing. A third
type of sleep apnea, complex sleep apnea, combines aspects of both obstructive and central sleep apnea. Studies show that patients with sleep apnea experience pauses in their breathing hundreds of times each night, with episodes
lasting up to 30 seconds or longer. Because sleep apnea results in a decreased amount of oxygen in the brain and body, sleep apnea is a serious, potentially life-threatening condition.