What is OSA?

It may be holding you back from getting sleep with fewer breathing interruptions

Red icon depicting a horizontally positioned head with a hazard symbol to represent blocked airways while sleeping.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a chronic condition in which the throat muscles relax during sleep and the airway may become partially or fully blocked. There may be periods of choking or gasping for air while sleeping without your knowing.

If you have OSA, breathing may be fully or partially blocked at times during sleep, so it’s possible you may not be getting the oxygen you need.

Normal oxygen flow during sleep vs oxygen flow during sleep with OSA — Image depicting an open airway and what normal oxygen flow during sleep looks like compared to what oxygen flow during sleep looks like when someone has a fully or partially blocked airway due to obstructive sleep apnea.

There are different degrees of severity for OSA. If your breathing is interrupted 15-29 times an hour while sleeping, that may indicate moderate OSA, while 30 or more times an hour may indicate severe OSA.

Don’t wait—talk to your doctor about OSA.

Untreated OSA may continue to cause breathing disruptions during sleep.

Some OSA risk factors include:

Being of the male sex
Obesity
Having a thicker neck (greater than 17 inches for men and 16 inches for women)
Age (people over the age of 50 are more at risk)
A family history of OSA
Nighttime nasal congestion

In the US, moderate-to-severe OSA affects approximately 24 million adults. Many are overweight or living with obesity, and most cases remain undiagnosed and untreated.