NUR180 - Sleep Apnea Disorder

Course overview

Sleep apnea (AP-ne-ah) is a common disorder in which a person has one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths during sleep. Breathing pauses can last from a few seconds to minutes and often occur 5 to 30 times or more an hour. Typically, normal breathing then starts again, sometimes with a loud snort or choking sound. Sleep apnea is a chronic (ongoing) condition that disrupts sleep, causing the individual to move out of deep sleep and into light sleep when breathing pauses or becomes shallow. Sleep apnea results in poor sleep quality that leaves the individual with excessive daytime sleepiness.