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Sleep apnea occurs in both genders and among all age groups. But it is most often diagnosed in middle-aged people assigned male at birth. It may be under-diagnosed in people assigned female at birth. And it may lead to more severe heart damage for them. About 30 million Americans have sleep apnea. You are more likely to have or develop sleep apnea if you are overweight and snore, have high blood pressure, or have an abnormality in your nose, throat, or upper airway. Genes seem to play a role in sleep apnea, because the condition tends to run in families.

Sleep apnea is graded as mild, moderate, or severe by how many times breathing stops during an hour. Mild apnea is 5 to 15 times per hour. Moderate is 15 to 30 times an hour. And severe is more than 30 times per hour.

The snorting and gasping occur as you start breathing after a temporary stop. Other symptoms of sleep apnea include snoring, frequent awakenings during the night, a choking feeling during sleep, daytime sleepiness, a morning headache, trouble focusing attention, memory loss, irritability, and sexual problems.

Just about everyone with sleep apnea snores. But not everyone who snores has sleep apnea. Snoring occurs when air moving through the passages at the back of the mouth and nose is blocked. This area is where the soft palate and uvula meet the tongue and upper throat. This area can collapse and vibrate during breathing. Besides sleep apnea, common causes of snoring include:

• Poor muscle tone in the tongue and throat, caused by alcohol or drugs
• Too much throat tissue in the form of enlarged tonsils and adenoids
• A long soft palate or uvula, or both
• A stuffy or blocked nose

There are 2 forms of sleep apnea: central sleep apnea and obstructive sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea means air can't flow in or out of your nose or mouth. It is much more common. In central sleep apnea, your brain fails to send a signal to the breathing muscles to start breathing.

Don't take sleeping pills if you have sleep apnea. And don't have alcoholic or caffeinated drinks or smoke before going to bed. Many of these make the airway more likely to collapse during sleep. Certain medicines such as modafinil and armodafinil are available if daytime sleepiness continues even if you are using CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) therapy.

If you have sleep apnea, you are sleepy during the day. That daytime sleepiness puts you at risk for accidents when driving a vehicle or operating machinery. Over time, the increased stress on your body caused by the airway blockage and awakenings can lead to high blood pressure (hypertension). This can cause the heart's left ventricle to thicken. The left ventricle is the heart's main pumping chamber. The lower amounts of oxygen may harm the blood vessels of the heart and raise your risk for coronary disease. Sleep apnea also lowers your quality of life because it affects your mental state or mood. You may not know that you have sleep apnea. Your partner may be the first to suspect that something is wrong. This is often due to the heavy snoring and apparent struggle to breathe. Your coworkers and friends may notice that you fall asleep during the day, especially when working or talking.

The treatment of choice for sleep apnea is CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure). This is a scuba masklike breathing device that blows a regular stream of air through the nose and throat. This constant flow of air forces the floppy tissues to stay open, helping you breathe normally. Other types of treatment include behavior changes. These other treatments might include:

• Losing weight or using pillows so that you will sleep on your side
• Devices that pull your jaw forward during sleep. They prevent the airway from being blocked.
• Oral or bariatric surgery

Oxygen is not a treatment for sleep apnea, until other treatments fail. This is because oxygen doesn't cure sleep apnea or prevent daytime sleepiness. Some people with sleep apnea may need surgery to increase the size of the airway. None of the surgical procedures used is completely successful or without risks. Some people may need more than 1 surgical procedure before their condition improves.