Sleep Apnea is a potentially serious disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts and can be associated with increases in heart rate, blood pressure, and decreases in blood oxygen levels.

Some sleep apnea risk factors include obesity, about 2/3 of OSA patients are obese, a history of OSA/ snoring, anatomic abnormalities of the upper airway, alcohol consumption, sedative use, male gender, smoking, post-menopausal for women, and increasing age.

Signs and symptoms of OSA include episodes in which you stop breathing during sleep, gasping for air during sleep, difficulty staying asleep (insomnia), excessive sleepiness (hypersomnia), morning headache, irritability, difficulty paying attention while awake, and awakening with a dry mouth.