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

For example, if a person is not breathing well during sleep (snoring or sleep apnea), this will disturb the normal sequences and cause the individual to awaken feeling unrestored. — Steven Bender, Quartz, "Hitting the snooze button is bad for your health," 7 June 2019 For example, if a person is not breathing well during sleep (snoring or sleep apnea), this will disturb the normal sequences and cause the individual to awaken feeling unrestored. — Steven Bender, Houston Chronicle, "Does hitting the snooze button really help you feel better?," 6 June 2019 Its drug pipeline has several candidates with blockbuster potential, including treatments for prostate cancer, diabetic kidney disease and sleep apnea. — Charley Grant, WSJ, "It’s Not Too Late for Bayer to Heal," 22 June 2019 Currently there is no test that can identify CFS, so doctors have to rule out thyroid issues, anemia, vitamin deficiencies, sleep apnea, and other medical conditions first. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "If You're Feeling Tired All the Time, You Might Have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome," 17 May 2019 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

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

12 Jul 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