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Sleep apnea, also spelled sleep apnoea, is a sleep disorder where a person experiences brief interruptions in breathing resulting in either complete stoppage of breathing or very shallow breathing. [1]Each episode can last for a few seconds to a few minutes and they happen many times a night.[1]Causes for these interruptions can be anything from physical and anatomical obstructions or a disruption in the way the brain signaling that controls the breathing. Apneic spells are characterized by very loud snoring, choking and snorting. People with sleep apnea may not be aware they have it even after waking and are often reported by a family member.

There are three forms of sleep apnea: obstructive(OSA), central(CSA), and a combination of the two called mixed.[1]OSA is the most common form found mostly in patients who may have conditions that cause obstruction of the airway while sleeping, like enlarged tonsils or obesity.[1]

Central Sleep Apnea is most commonly seen in patients that have an underlying medical condition that disrupts the brain signaling that controls your breathing. Conditions maybe infection in the brain, stroke or no known cause at all.

OSA affects 1 to 6% of adults and 2% of children.[3][6]It affects males about twice as often as females.[3][9]While people at any age can be affected, it occurs most commonly among those 55 to 60 years old.[1][3]CSA affects less than 1% of people.[10]A type of CSA was described in the German myth of Ondine's curse where the person when asleep would forget to breathe.[11]