If you have sleep apnea, the periods of not breathing may make you wake up fro  deep sleep. If you are waking up all night long, you aren’t getting enough rest from your sleep. The three types of sleep apnea are central apnea, obstructive apnea, and a mixture of central and obstructive apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA): The more common of the two forms of apnea, it is caused by a blockage of the airway, usually when the soft tissue in the back of the throat collapses during sleep. Central sleep apnea: Unlike OSA, the airway is not blocked but the brain fails to signal the muscles to breathe due to instability in the respiratory control center. Central sleep apnea is rare. This type of sleep apnea is related to the function of the central nervous system. If you have this type of apnea, the muscles you use to breathe don’t get the “go-ahead” signal from your brain. Either the brain doesn’t send the signal, or the signal gets interrupted. The complications of obstructive sleep apnea include high blood pressure, strokes, heart disease, automobile accidents, and daytime sleepiness as well as difficulty concentrating, thinking and remembering. Obstructive sleep apnea is diagnosed and evaluated by history, physical examination and polysomnography. Knowing if you have Sleep Apnea Sleep apnea can affect anyone at any age, even children. However, risk

factors for this sleep problem include:

- Being male
- Being overweight
- Being over the age of forty
- Having a large neck

size (17 inches or greater in men and 16 inches or greater in women)

- Having larger tonsils
- Having a family history

of sleep apnea Because some of the symptoms of sleep apnea occur while you’re sleeping, the person you sleep with may notice it first. You, or that person, may notice heavy snoring or long pauses in your breathing during sleep. Even if you don’t remember waking up during the night, you may notice daytime sleepiness (such as falling asleep at work, while driving or when talking), irritability or fatigue. You may also experience morning headaches, forgetfulness, mood changes and a decreased interest in sex. Your doctor can diagnose sleep apnea. He or she may ask you if you feel tired or sleepy during the day. Your doctor may also want to know about your bedtime habits and how well you sleep. Your doctor may ask you to go to a sleep center for a sleep study. Tests done at the sleep center may reveal which kind of sleep apnea you have. Sleep Apnea

Symptoms Common sleep apnea symptoms include:

- Waking up with a very sore and/or dry throat
- Occasionally waking up with a choking or gasping sensation
- Sleepiness during the day
- Morning headaches
- Forgetfulness, mood changes and a decreased interest in sex
- Recurrent awakenings or insomnia

What Are the Effects of Sleep Apnea?

If left untreated, sleep apnea can result in a growing number of health problems including:

- Hypertension
- Stroke
- Heart failure, irregular

heart beats, and heart attacks In addition, untreated sleep apnea may be responsible for poor performance in everyday activities, such as at work and school, motor vehicle crashes, as well as academic underachievement in