Sleep apnea syndrome involves pauses in breathing during sleep that result from obstruction of the airway and often occur several hundred times per night. By definition, the pauses in breathing must last at least 10 seconds for sleep apnea syndrome to be suspected. The breathing pauses cause sufferers to have a lack of oxygen, which makes them sleep poorly. Thus, patients are tired during the day. Furthermore, sleep apnea syndrome can result in various secondary diseases.
Sleep apnea syndrome affects about 4% of the male population (mainly middle-aged) and 2% of adult women (mostly after menopause – menopause) and can lead to serious consequences. It can be divided into the following two subgroups.
- Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome – characterized by obstruction (narrowing) or complete closure of the upper airway during sleep; most common form of sleep apnea.
- Central sleep apnea syndrome – characterized by repeated cessations of breathing due to lack of activation of respiratory muscles.
- In addition, there are still various mixed forms of the two groups
