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

Some of those risks include making sleep disorders like sleep apnea worse, or even causing suffocation. —Preston Fore, Fortune, 27 Sep. 2025

James and Juana Cooper had taken their son to the Oxford Center in the Detroit suburb of Troy multiple times to receive hyperbaric oxygen therapy for sleep apnea and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, according to the family’s attorney, James Harrington. —Elizabeth Chuck, NBC news, 22 Sep. 2025

This was after adjusting for other factors like age, high blood pressure, sleep medications and sleep apnea diagnoses. —Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2025

The Series 11 accurately measures the duration of your shut-eye, time spent in each sleep stage, other health metrics such as respiration rate and resting heart rate, and even monitors for sleep apnea. —PC Magazine, 16 Sep. 2025

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