Most people with it have obstructive apnea, where the person stops breathing momentarily during sleep due to blockage in his throat. The sufferers usually resume breathing within a few seconds, however periods of as long as sixty seconds are not uncommon in serious cases. The basic cause is the relaxation of the muscles in the back of the throat, which close off the airway. As the body senses the lack of oxygen, it automatically wakes up so the throat muscles are activated to open the airway, allowing breathing to resume but thereby interrupting sleep.
Obstructive sleep apnea occurs most commonly in men, and is generally exacerbated if they are overweight or obese.
Another, rather rare form is central nervous sleep apnea, where a problem in the nervous system interrupts breathing.
Such apnea can occur repeatedly during sleep. Frequent apnea results in shortage of oxygen supply to the brain. It also produces the results of sleep deprivation, including drowsiness, fatigue, memory loss, short attention span, etc. during day time hours, and even the problem of falling asleep unexpectedly at any moment, similar to narcolepsy. Serious apnea may cause brain damage, heart trouble or death.
The primary form of treatement for obstructive apnea is the use of a breathing machine which pumps a controlled flow of air through a face mask, forcing air to open the relaxed muscles. This allows uninterrupted sleep to take place. The most common is the continuous positive airway pressure ("CPAP") machine which delivers a constant flow of air. Other variations can deliver varied levels of pressure by monitoring breathing patterns. While the thought of using a face mask can make some sufferers hestitant to try the treatment, many if not most find that the initial acclimation period is quickly surpassed by the return of the benefits of deep sleep.
Some forms of surgery are used also for less severe cases, which involves removal of portions of the soft palate and/or back of the tongue.
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