sleep apnea

noun

Definition of sleep apnea

: 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 link here could be that sleep apnea changes the width of the blood vessels in your brain, which can lead to head pain, Dr. Sachdev says. — Korin Miller, SELF, "When to See a Doctor About Those Persistent Headaches," 29 Aug. 2018 According to the National Sleep Foundation, sleep apnea affects as many as 20 percent of people who snore, and about 4 percent of women between the ages of 30 and 60. — Sarah Jio, Woman's Day, "8 Surprising Reasons You're Tired," 14 Jan. 2011 Other types of sleeping disorders that affect teens include restless leg syndrome and sleep apnea. — Danielle Corcione, Teen Vogue, "How to Tell if You Have a Sleep Disorder," 14 Mar. 2019 By tracking all kinds of data throughout the day, Fitbit in particular hopes to someday calculate sleep apnea risk for its users. — Cassie Shortsleeve, Popular Mechanics, "How 5 Everyday Products Have Changed Through the Ages," 10 Dec. 2018 Having excess body fat, measured as body mass index, can put children at higher risk of other chronic health conditions and diseases, including asthma, Type 2 diabetes, bone and joint problems, sleep apnea and heart disease. — Fiza Pirani, ajc, "5 things moms can do to reduce child obesity risk, according to a new study," 11 July 2018 So far, no pills for sleep apnea exist, but researchers are working on it. — Washington Post, "New ways to conquer sleep apnea compete for place in bedroom," 12 July 2018 To what degree weight loss is an effective treatment for sleep apnea isn’t totally clear. — Sarah Jacoby, SELF, "The Science on Weight and Health," 26 June 2018 The most likely cause of death was sleep apnea, a known condition of his. — April Bridgeman, Woman's Day, "My Husband and I Bonded Over Death," 13 Apr. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sleep apnea.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

17 May 2019

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The first known use of sleep apnea was in 1975

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More Definitions for sleep apnea

sleep apnea

noun

Medical Definition of sleep apnea

: 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