Meaning & use
sleep apnea
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountable
A medical condition in which breathing repeatedly stops for a short time during sleep, leaving the person tired during the day.
Grammar: Used without an article: he has sleep apnea.
Patterns
- have sleep apnea
- treat sleep apnea
- diagnosed with sleep apnea
He was diagnosed with sleep apnea after his wife noticed he stopped breathing at night.
Sleep apnea can raise the risk of heart problems.
A special mask can help treat sleep apnea.
Common combinations
- have sleep apnea
- My uncle has sleep apnea and uses a machine at night.
- diagnosed with sleep apnea
- She was diagnosed with sleep apnea last year.
- treat sleep apnea
- Doctors can treat sleep apnea with a breathing mask.
- obstructive sleep apnea
- Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type.
- severe sleep apnea
- Severe sleep apnea can interrupt sleep many times an hour.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sleep-disordered breathing
- A broader medical term that also includes loud snoring without breathing pauses.
- apnea
- Means a pause in breathing in general, not only during sleep.
Word family
Commonly confused: sleep apnea or insomnia?
sleep apnea vs insomnia
Insomnia is trouble falling or staying asleep, while sleep apnea is a breathing problem during sleep.
Practice
A patient who repeatedly stops breathing during the night may be diagnosed with ___.
Choose one answer.
Sleep apnea means breathing pauses during sleep. Insomnia is difficulty sleeping, which is a different problem.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sleep apnea”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.