When you stop breathing, a choking silence replaces your snoring. Your blood-oxygen level plummets. To compensate, your heart pumps harder, causing a sharp increase in your blood pressure, residual high blood pressure during the day, and over time, increased risk of heart attack and stroke. They're constantly sleepy during the day, have trouble concentrating, and are prone to dozing off when they shouldn't, for example, while driving. Obstructive sleep apnea is surprisingly common, affecting about 18 million Americans particularly overweight middle-aged men.
Apnea affects many women as well.
But apnea significantly increases risk of eventually suffering heart attack or stroke, so it should be treated. Apnea is easy to diagnose. Just listen for a combination of loud snoring and choking silences. It's also easy to treat. C-PAP devices include a mask that fits over your nose connected to a small pump that gently pushes extra oxygen into your lungs with each breath.