Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder which is characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep. Pause can last for a few seconds to minutes. It is a chronic condition which spoils the sleep during the night and makes tired. Apnea refers to a period of time during which breathing stops. Generally normal air breath flow will be between 75- 100% but in apnea people it will be 25% less than the normal. Apnea usually occurs during the sleep so these are measured only during the sleep over a period of two hours. It is measured by Apnea Index (AI), higher the AI more severity in apnea. It is seen more in adults than children. This disease can only be identified first by the partner.

Types: There are three types of Sleep Apnea

Central Sleep Apnea (CSA) - it usually occurs when brain does not send signals to the breath muscles to breath.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea(OSA) - it usually occurs when brain sends signals to breath muscles to breath and muscles makes an effort to breath but they become unsuccessful as there is obstruction in the airway flow.

Mixed sleep Apnea - it occurs when both CSA and OSA are present.
The most common type seen is Obstructive Sleep Apnea. It affects 4% men and 2% women