sleep apnea

noun

: apnea that recurs during sleep and is caused especially by obstruction of the airway or a disturbance in the brain's respiratory center

Examples of sleep apnea in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The fast-growing class of drugs has the potential to treat other conditions, such as sleep apnea, and reduce the risk of stroke. —Zev Fima, CNBC, 4 Feb. 2026

Air purifiers are most important for people with pre-existing respiratory and cardiac conditions, including allergies, asthma, obstructive sleep apnea, lung disease, and heart disease. —Julia Ries Wexler, Health, 4 Feb. 2026

Our comparatively small jaws opened the floodgates to all sorts of other issues, Ungar adds, including the sleep apnea epidemic, which occurs when our tongues don’t have enough room to wiggle around in our mouths. —Sara Kiley Watson, Popular Science, 4 Feb. 2026

This can lead someone to eat excess calories, causing weight gain, obesity and other medical problems like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and sleep apnea, according to Cleveland Clinic. —Shiv Sudhakar, FOXNews.com, 2 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1975, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

sleep apnea

noun

: brief periods of recurrent cessation of breathing during sleep that is caused especially by obstruction of the airway or a disturbance in the brain's respiratory center and is associated especially with excessive daytime sleepiness