Sleep Apnea is a disorder of interrupted breathing during sleep. It usually occurs in association with fat buildup or loss of muscle tone with aging. These changes cause the windpipe to collapse during breathing when muscles relax during sleep.

This problem, called Obstructive Sleep Apnea, is usually associated with loud snoring, though not everyone who snores has this disorder. Sleep Apnea also can occur if the neurons that control the breathing malfunction during sleep.

During an episode of Obstructive Sleep Apnea,  the person's effort to inhale creates suction that collapes the airway. This blocks the flow of air for ten seconds to a minute, while the sleeping person struggles to breathe. When the person's blood oxygen levels fall, the brain responds by waking the person enough to tighten the upper airway muscles and open the airway. This cycle may be repeated hundreds of times a night. The frequent awakenings that Sleep Apnea patient's experience, leave them coninutually sleepy, and may lead to personality changes, such as irritability or depression.

Sleep Apnea also deprives the person of oxygen, which can lead to morning headaches, a loss of interest in sex, or a decline in mental functioning. It is also linked to high blood pressure, irregular heartbeats, and an increased risk of heart attacks and stroke. Patients with severe, untreated Sleep Apnea are two to three times more likely to have automobile accidents than the general population. In some high risk individuals, Sleep Apnea may even lead to sudden death from respiratory assest during sleep.

An estimated 18 million Americans have Sleep Apnea. However few of them have had the problem diagnosed. Patients with the typical features of Sleep Apnea, such as loud snoring, obesity, and excessive daytime sleepiness, should be referred to a specialized sleep center that can perform a test called polysomagraphy. This test records the patient's brain waves, heartbeat, and breathing during an entire night of sleep. If sleep apnea is diagnosed, several treatments are available, most commonly Continous Positive Pressure Ventilation, or CPAP. Mild Sleep Apnea frequently can be overcome through weight loss, or by preventing the person from sleeping on his or her back. Other people may need special devices such as a chin strap, or surgery to correct the obstruction. People with Sleep Apnea should never take sleeping pills, which can prevent them from awakening enough to breathe.

CPAP is most effective and widely used therapy for the treatment of Sleep Apnea. The priniciples of CPAP are in the use of high flow air generating devices to help faciliate a patent, or clear airway, free of any anotomical restriction or obstruction. This is accomplished through what is called a CPAP or BIPAP machine. BIPAP is an acronym for Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure and as such, delivers a set pressure during the inspriatory phase, and a set, lesser pressure during the exhalation phase. CPAP is an acronym for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, and as such, delivers a set pressure during both the inspiratory and expiratory phase.