While you’re asleep, the muscles supporting the soft tissues in your upper airway relax. This includes your tongue and soft palate. If you have OSA, then when these muscles relax, your airway becomes partially or fully obstructed. Your body is no longer able to get the oxygen it needs. As this goes on, your blood oxygen levels dip. Your brain reacts to the lower oxygen levels by waking you up just enough to reopen your airway. For some people, this awakening may result in gasping, snorting, or choking for air. Others may wake up but not be aware of it. With severe OSA, pauses in breathing during sleep can occur as often as 30 times every hour.