•Sleep apnea affects one in four men, one in 10 women
• Sufferers can wake hundreds of times a night

Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when tissue in the back of the throat collapses, blocking the airway. It is caused by excess weight, large tonsils, or even just the construction of someone’s throat.
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that affects 24% of adult men and 9% of women.
For anywhere from 10 seconds to a minute or more, the person will actually stop breathing, lowering blood-oxygen levels and straining the heart. This can happen hundreds of times throughout the night.

“Some people called it the snoring sickness,” says Dr. William Dement. “You struggle to breathe … and you wake up to breathe. If it’s severe, you wake up all night long.”
Dr. Dement has been nicknamed the father of sleep science. He began studying sleep in the 1950s when few people realized how much there was to discover, and quickly learned that sleep was complex — filled with patterns and problems.
In the summer of 1970, Dement opened a sleep disorders clinic at Stanford University — the first of its kind. From the start, the number one problem for his patients was obstructive sleep apnea.
With all those interruptions, those who suffer from sleep apnea never complete a full sleep cycle. Without reaching the last stage, known as rapid eye movement or REM, the body can’t fully regenerate and rejuvenate. REM sleep was discovered by Dr. Dement, and it allows the body necessary recovery time needed for daytime function.