What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized as a pause in breathing for 10 seconds
or more during sleep. This happens because of airway blockage due to the size or
swelling of passageways or the position of the tongue or jaw. When the air flow is
reduced, the brain sends out an emergency signal that causes OSA suffers to wake up
and readjust. While many patients may not register this brief rousing, pauses like this
happen countless times each night leading to daytime exhaustion, painful headaches,
tinnitus, stress, elevated blood pressure, and much more.