The most extensive type of sleep apnea is what is called obstructive sleep apnea and is a condition characterized by periods in which breathing stops while sleeping. Sometimes this condition is called obstructive sleep apnea syndrome or sleep apnea syndrome.
In the majority of healthy individuals the muscles that are liable for
regulating the upper section of the throat ensure that the air circulation in and out of the lungs is both continuous and steady. While you sleep, these muscles relax a little however nonetheless still manage to do their job sufficiently.
However, those people who have sleep apnea have air passages that are narrowed for one reason or another and therefore when the throat muscles relax this triggers the air passage to partially or entirely closed thus preventing the passage of air to the lungs. Labored breathing and snoring leading to a sleep apnea episode will then be seen.
In some people, breathing can also stop completely throughout 
durations of deep sleep and medical specialists and researchers are uncertain about just why this takes place. These times during which breathing ceases can last for as long as ten seconds or more in extreme cases and are called sleep apnea episodes or apneic events.
These sleep apnea episodes cause a degree of awareness that you have stopped breathing, and you consequently struggle to begin breathing once again which is accompanied by choking, gasping or perhaps snorting.
After that, it is usual to fall in a period of light sleep prior to the cycle of sleep apnea episodes starting once again.
The result is that an individual deals with sleep that is fragmented and does not enable them the amount of rest which they require each night. This can lead to a variety of health problems including excessive daytime exhaustion. Among the reasons for this daytime, sign is simply that the oxygen level in the bloodstream falls significantly throughout an apneic event leading to a condition referred to as hypoxia.
It is extremely important to recognize that a great deal of individuals who experience sleep apnea are uninformed of their problem, and frequently it need to be left to others to explain the issue. Sleep apnea sufferers are usually aware of being exhausted throughout the day but do not necessarily understand why.