You can stop breathing while you're asleep if you have sleep apnea treatment pascagoula ms. The Greek word meaning "breathless" is where the word "apnea" originates. You stop breathing while you're sleeping, which causes sleep apnea. Obstructive apnea, an obstruction in your airway, or improper breathing control by your brain both contribute to this (central apnea). As a result, you run out of oxygen, which triggers a survival response that briefly awakens you up so you can start breathing again. While keeping you alive, that response also disrupts your sleep pattern. That hinders you from getting a good night's sleep and may have other negative effects, such as straining your heart, which may have fatal results.