Sussex Sleep Clinic

What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea and why is having OSA a problem? OSA is a common breathing disorder that occurs during sleep. It is characterized by pauses in breathing that usually end in gasping for air or snoring. When people sleep, all of the muscles in their body relax including the muscles in their throat and upper airway. With this relaxation, the air passage becomes smaller. This narrowing can cause the tissue in the throat to vibrate together when the air passes through, causing snoring. The narrowing can be so severe, that the throat closes off completely and the person stops breathing until their body triggers their throat to open up and take a breath. This is extremely disruptive to sleep. Ensuing daytime sleepiness a strained home life; difficulty with work and concentration; difficulty staying awake while driving, cardiovascular disease and early death. We treat this disorder with CPAP therapy, the gold standard in treatment.