There are two main types of sleep apnea; Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) and central sleep apnoea.
85% of people with sleep apnoea have OSA.
When you go to sleep, the muscles at the back of your throat relax. When this happens, your airway can narrow or close as you breathe. Because your airway is partly blocked, snoring results. If the airway becomes completely blocked, you can’t get any air into your lungs.
This can happen many times a night without you being aware of it. You may think you slept all night. But obstructive sleep apnoea causes poor quality sleep and often results in sleepiness during the day.¹ Your brain responds to the low oxygen level in your blood by briefly waking you from sleep so that you can take a breath. Your partner may notice that you make a gasping or choking sound.
OSA is a serious and relatively common condition. 750,000 Australians have problems with their health due to OSA. Sleep Apnoea has been linked to:
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
- Heart failure
- Car and truck accidents
- Work accidents