Morbid Obesity And Sleep Apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea is a common and dangerous condition in which the airways are obstructed during sleep causing the sufferer to stop breathing. In the majority of cases the brain senses that the body is in trouble and triggers the breathing reflex, often ‘jerking’ the patient into breathing again which is accompanied by load snoring. Sufferers may cease breathing many times during the course of the night and, as a result, will experience a very light and poor quality of sleep leaving them tired during the day. Obstructive sleep apnea is seen particularly in people with morbid obesity where the sheer bulk and weight of tissue around the face and neck causes the tissues around the throat passage to collapse when the muscles relax during sleep.