Sleep apnea: The obstruction to good health

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder caused by relaxed muscles in the upper airway. In sleep apnea, the throat muscle and the tongue abnormally relax or collapse, choking the pharyngeal airway. This action obstructs the body's natural air-intake resulting in episodes of apnea i.e. blockage in the airway, followed by waking-up startled in the middle of their sleep due to the lack of oxygen entering their body. For over 2-year, ResMed studied the available research literature to find prevalence data for obstructive sleep apnea. The comparative study of 17 research data available for 16 countries has led to the findings that almost 936 million people worldwide have this condition. The number of patients with obstructive sleep apnea was highest in China, followed by the USA, Brazil, and India, according to a report by The Lancet. Watch the video interaction here to know more.