What is "obstructive sleep apnea"?

What is "obstructive sleep apnea"?

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Obstructive sleep apnea means that at night, when you are sleeping, your brain continues to send signals to your lungs that you should continue to breathe, but there's an obstruction either in your nose or your throat that blocks the air from getting to your lungs. When that happens, your heart and lungs themselves become very stressed because they can't get enough oxygen into the rest of your body. If this happens for a prolonged period of time, eventually your heart or lungs can fail and it can cause sudden death, arrhythmias or problems with your ability to maintain oxygen throughout the body.