Sleep apnea is a 10 second or greater pause in breathing while sleeping. Sleep apnea usually is a chronic (ongoing) condition that disrupts your sleep.

When your breathing pauses or becomes shallow, you’ll often move out of deep sleep and into light sleep. As a result, the quality of your sleep is poor, which makes you tired during the day. Sleep apnea is a leading cause of excessive daytime sleepiness. One of the main symptoms of sleep apnea is snoring. Most people think snoring is not serious, so they fail to see a doctor.

In addition to snoring, there are other symptoms including:

• Daytime sleepiness
• Dry or sore throat in the morning
• Headaches
• Insomnia or waking frequently during the night
• Waking suddenly with a sensation of being suffocated or feeling breathless
• Lack of energy