Obstructive sleep apnea is a medical disorder that actually causes a person to stop breathing for periods of time during sleep. This might happen dozens or even hundreds of times in a night, and is characterized by interruptions in breathing of ten seconds or more. The person will then suddenly gasp for air, a reflex that probably won't be remembered in the morning. Then natural defenses kick in, and lack of oxygen triggers the brain to jerk the person awake briefly. Sleep apnea leads to interrupted sleep, and the person isn't getting the rest and rejuvenation that we need.
Sleep apnea means the person is only sleeping for a few minutes or seconds at a time.
Fortunately, the diagnosis can also be a simple matter. North Adams Regional Hospital offers sleep studies that can help pinpoint the cause of a sleep disorder. The patient spends a night at the hospital in a quiet room, connected to a monitor that measures respiration, heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and breathing movements. A printout shows how the person is breathing during sleep. A patient undergoing a sleep study will arrive about eight o'clock in the evening.