What is obstructive sleep apnea? Also known as OSA.
Apnea = cessation of breathing
Literally, it means cessation of breathing during sleep due to airway being obstructed.
While we are sleeping, our tongue, jaw, uvula and soft palate as well the muscle surrounding our airway relax causing crowding of the space at the back of the throat and also reduce the caliber of the airway. This in turn would reduce the amount of air flowing through in attempt to deliver oxygen to your vital organs via your lung.
When air is flowing through the narrowed airway, it does so with a higher velocity causing vibration – snoring.
The obstruction is normally worse when sleeping supine and/or during REM sleep.