What is Sleep Apnea?

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If you are tired or exhausted do not operate a vehicle or machinery.
The information contained in this document is for educational purposes only, Sleep Apnea can only be diagnosed via a medically approved sleep study. A sleep study must be ordered and reviewed by a professional provider trained in Sleep Medicine.

GEM Sleep is focused on treatment and support of Sleep Apnea, not other sleep conditions.

Written by:
Dr. Mike Howell
Co-Chief Scientific Officer

Obstructive Sleep Apnea is the failure to breathe properly at night when you're sleeping. Your airway is flexible to allow you to talk during the day all of that relaxes when you're sleeping and particularly during REM sleep and it will then collapse. So this collapse can cause snoring which is incredibly common. Half of adults snore and if it continues to collapse it's an apnea. Where there is a cessation of all airflow your oxygen levels are going down your carbon dioxide levels are going up this is a stress on the system and then your brain sends a signal to go ahead and take a deep breath but to do that you have to wake up just a little. So this is interfering with your brain's ability to get a good nice deep sleep. And this can happen 20 times an hour 40 times an hour 120 times an hour and not surprisingly when you wake up in the morning you have high blood pressure, you wake up and you have heartburn, you wake up and you feel tired and exhausted during the day.  

If you are tired or exhausted do not operate a vehicle or machinery.
The information contained in this document is for educational purposes only, Sleep Apnea can only be diagnosed via a medically approved sleep study. A sleep study must be ordered and reviewed by a professional provider trained in Sleep Medicine.

GEM Sleep is focused on treatment and support of Sleep Apnea, not other sleep conditions.

Written by:
Dr. Mike Howell
Co-Chief Scientific Officer