Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive Sleep Apnea is a common condition where the airway repeatedly becomes blocked during sleep, causing breathing to stop and start. It affects the respiratory system and disrupts normal sleep patterns, leading to poor sleep quality. People with this condition often experience loud snoring, frequent awakenings, and excessive daytime sleepiness. The repeated interruptions in breathing can reduce oxygen levels in the blood and strain the heart. Over time, this can increase the risk of serious health problems like high blood pressure and heart disease. The airway blockage usually happens because the throat muscles relax too much during sleep.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is characterized by recurrent episodes of partial or complete upper airway obstruction during sleep, leading to intermittent hypoxia and sleep fragmentation. The core pathology involves collapse of the pharyngeal airway due to relaxation of the pharyngeal dilator muscles combined with anatomical predispositions such as obesity, enlarged tonsils, or craniofacial abnormalities. These obstructions cause apneas (complete cessation of airflow) or hypopneas (partial reduction in airflow) despite ongoing respiratory effort. Clinically, OSA results in excessive daytime sleepiness, cognitive impairment, and increased cardiovascular morbidity including hypertension and arrhythmias. The condition is diagnosed primarily in adults but can also affect children, especially those with adenotonsillar hypertrophy. OSA is a major cause of secondary hypertension and contributes to metabolic dysregulation.