IfthepatientsdiagnosewithSleepapneapascagoulamsthentheycanstopbreathing whileyou'reasleepiftheyhavesleepapnea.TheGreektermmeaning"breathless"is wheretheword"apnea"originates.Theystopbreathingwhileyou'resleeping,which causessleepapnea.Thiscanoccurwhenthierairwaybecomesblocked(obstructive sleepapnea),oritcanalsooccurwhenregularbreathingisimproperlycontrolledby thebrain(central apnea).Asaresult,patientsrunoutofoxygen,whichtriggersa survivalresponsethatbrieflyawakensyouupinordertostartbreathingagain.While keeping remainalive,that responsealsodisruptsyoursleeppattern.Thathinders
anyonefromgettingagoodnight'ssleepandmayhaveothernegativeeffects,suchas strainingyourheart,whichmayhavefatalresults.
AnyonecangetSleepapneapascagoulams,fromyoungtoddlersandnewbornsto elderly people. Certain situations and populations are more likely to experience obstructivesleepapneathanothers:
• Beforeage50,malesandthosebornwithamalegenderpreferencearemore likelytoexperienceit(AMAB).Afterage50,itimpactsbothwomenandthosewho werebornwiththegenderascribedtothem(AFAB)equally.
• Aspeopleage,theyaremorepronetodevelopit.
• Obesityorbeingoverweightsignificantlyraisesthechanceofgettingit.
• People that are Black, Hispanic, or Asian in descent are more likely to experienceit.
• There are several demographics where central sleep apnea and ms is more prevalent:
• Thosewhouseopioidpainkillers.
• Adultsolderthan60.
•
People with cardiac diseases including congestive heart failure or atrial fibrillation.
Despitebeingubiquitous,sleepapneaisrare.Itaffectsbetween5%to10%ofpeople globally,accordingtoexperts.