What happens when you have sleep apnea? When you stop breathing during sleep due to sleep apnea, the oxygen and carbon dioxide balance in the blood is disturbed. This stimulates to restart the breathing process. The brain commands the waking up of muscles of the tongue and throat can increase the size of the airway and hence you tend to wake up from sleep. As a result, the carbon dioxide escapes and oxygen is sucked in.

The person suffering from sleep apnea need not necessarily know it. But this can interrupt good sleep and make your body and brain tired stopping you from working in the day hours.

Sometimes, snoring is related to sleep apnea. Though they seem to be similar in sound, they are not the same. In fact, sleep apnea is more complicated and deadly than snoring, which is just a social problem. But, finding out the sleep apnea is one major part from where the treatment can be started.

Broadly classified into two types viz. Obstructed Sleep Apnea and Central Sleep Apnea, any of these can affect the central nervous system resulting in very serious problems like brain tumor and respiratory diseases.