To Sleep , Perchance to Breathe Sleep Apnea , Snoring , and Sleep - Disordered Breathing

S leep apnea is defined as a sleep disorder with frequent episodes of upper-airway obstruction resulting in hemoglobin oxygen desaturation. The disorder is characterized by periods of breathing cessation (apnea) and periods of reduced breathing (hypopnea). Sleep apnea increases morbidity and mortality, thus making it a condition worthy of investigation.1 Sleep apnea is typically categorized as obstructive, central, or mixed. Central sleep apnea involves complete or partial lack of respiratory drive resulting from a lack of central nervous system initiation, combined with at least 10 seconds of absent respiration. This form of the disorder affects only 10 percent of patients with sleep apnea.2 Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common type and is characterized by a cessation of airflow despite respiratory effort, which is caused by obstruction in the upper airway. Mixed sleep apnea is a combination of lack of respiratory effort and obstruction in the upper airway. Sleep disordered breathing is a general category of sleep disorders that includes snoring, upper airway resistance syndrome, and OSA.