In the 1830’s, the English novelist Charles Dickens published a series of stories called “The Pickwick Papers”. One character, the larger-than life Joe, was known for his prodigious appetite and large build with an ability to fall asleep quickly and often during the day. In 1956, an astute medical researcher named Burwell and his colleagues published an article in the American Journal of Medicine titled, “Extreme obesity associated with alveolar hypoventilation-a Pickwickian syndrome”. This was the first modern day presentation of a sleep-related breathing disorder now known as obstructive sleep apnea (1).
What is obstructive sleep apnea, also known as OSA?
Apnea means to stop breathing, and in the context of OSA this happens while asleep. That sound you hear is the often loud snoring that accompanies these episodes of breathlessness. The obstructive part is in the upper airway system caused by the inadequate function of the tongue muscles or surrounding muscles that keep the airways open (2). Continue reading “Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Sleep Well, Breathe Easy”
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Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Sleep Well, Breathe Easy