Snoring, Sleep Apnea, and Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders
Snoring and sleep apnea can affect energy, mood, cardiovascular health, safety, and quality of life. This page covers what sleep apnea is, who is at risk, how it is assessed at home, and what treatment options are available.
What Is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a sleep-related breathing disorder where breathing repeatedly pauses, becomes shallow, or is disrupted during sleep. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the upper airway narrows or collapses during sleep, lowering oxygen levels, fragmenting sleep, and triggering stress responses in the body.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Airflow is blocked or reduced despite effort to breathe. The most common form.
Central Sleep Apnea
Breathing is interrupted because the brain does not consistently send the signal to breathe.
Mixed Sleep Apnea
Obstructive and central breathing events occur together.
Why Treatment Matters
Untreated sleep apnea may contribute to cardiovascular, metabolic, neurological, mood, cognitive, and safety-related complications. Appropriate assessment and treatment can support better sleep, daytime function, and long-term health.
Possible Health Effects
High blood pressure and cardiovascular disease
Diabetes and metabolic health concerns
Stroke and neurological complications
Daytime fatigue and reduced alertness
Mood changes, including anxiety or depression
Headaches and brain fog
Motor vehicle or workplace accidents related to sleepiness
Sexual dysfunction
Symptoms That May Suggest Sleep Apnea
Loud or disruptive snoring
Witnessed pauses in breathing
Gasping or choking during sleep
Unrefreshing sleep
Excessive daytime sleepiness or fatigue
Morning dry mouth or sore throat
Morning nasal congestion
Morning headaches
Difficulty concentrating
Who Is at Risk?
Obstructive Sleep Apnea can affect people of different ages, body types, and backgrounds. Certain factors may increase risk and should prompt consideration of assessment.
- Body, Age, and Anatomy: Excess weight or weight gain, older age, male sex, family history of sleep apnea, narrow airway, jaw structure, or enlarged soft tissue.
- Breathing and Lifestyle Factors: Chronic nasal congestion, smoking, alcohol use close to bedtime, sedating medications, and lung disease or chronic breathing conditions.
- Medical Comorbidities: High blood pressure, heart disease, stroke history, diabetes or metabolic disease, and depression or other mental health concerns.
Understanding Sleep Apnea Severity
Sleep apnea severity is commonly described using the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), which estimates breathing events per hour.
| AHI Range | Severity | What It Generally Means |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer than 5 events/hour | Normal range | Sleep apnea is usually not diagnosed on AHI alone, though Respiratory Disturbance Index (RDI), symptoms, and clinical context still matter. |
| 5 to fewer than 15 events/hour | Mild | Breathing events occur and may be clinically important, especially if symptoms or health risks are present. |
| 15 to fewer than 30 events/hour | Moderate | Breathing events are more frequent and treatment is commonly recommended. |
| 30 or more events/hour | Severe | Breathing events are frequent and may be associated with higher health and safety risks. |
Severity is interpreted together with symptoms, oxygen levels, comorbidities, sleep study quality, and clinical judgement.
Home Sleep Apnea Testing with WatchPAT
When clinically appropriate, a WatchPAT home sleep apnea test can help evaluate suspected obstructive sleep apnea from the comfort of your home. WatchPAT is a Health Canada and FDA-cleared device that may track breathing events, snoring, sleep stages, oxygen levels, body position, and heart rate.
Clinical Review
We review symptoms, risk factors, medical history, and whether home sleep testing is appropriate.
Device Access
When appropriate, the WatchPAT test is arranged with clear instructions for completing the study at home.
Sleep Study
You complete the sleep study in your own environment following the instructions provided.
Results and Plan
Results are reviewed and used to guide personalized treatment recommendations and follow-up care.
Treatment Options
Treatment should be individualized based on the type and severity of sleep apnea, symptoms, oxygen levels, anatomy, health conditions, treatment goals, and patient preferences.
CPAP Therapy
CPAP uses gentle positive airway pressure to keep the airway open during sleep. It may reduce breathing events, improve oxygen levels, support better sleep continuity, and reduce daytime sleepiness. Virtual support may include set-up education, mask adjustment, troubleshooting, and adherence guidance.
Oral Appliance Therapy
Custom dental devices that help position the jaw and support airway patency. May be considered for selected patients, often in collaboration with and/or referral to a qualified dental sleep provider.
Positional Therapy
Some people have worse sleep apnea when sleeping on their back. Positional therapy may help reduce supine sleep and encourage side sleeping as part of a broader treatment plan.
Lifestyle, Weight, and Airflow Support
Weight-focused support, physical activity, alcohol reduction, nasal airflow optimization, and management of contributing conditions. Lifestyle medicine, obesity medicine, and nutrition may be considered as part of a whole-person plan.
Surgical and Specialist Referral
Surgical evaluation may be appropriate for selected patients when anatomy contributes to airway obstruction or when non-surgical options are not suitable or effective.
Coordinated Virtual Follow-Up
Virtual sleep care supports education, treatment selection, CPAP troubleshooting, adherence, ongoing follow-up, and coordination with family physicians, dentists, specialists, and allied health professionals.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Snoring can occur without sleep apnea, but loud snoring, witnessed pauses in breathing, gasping, morning headaches, high blood pressure, or daytime fatigue may suggest sleep-disordered breathing and should be assessed.
Sleep apnea may improve when contributing factors such as weight, alcohol use, nasal congestion, medications, or sleep position are addressed, if clinically relevant, but many patients require ongoing treatment.
For some patients, weight reduction may reduce obstructive sleep apnea severity and improve symptoms. It is not the only treatment option, and some patients continue to need CPAP, oral appliance therapy, or other treatments and care.
No. Options may also include oral appliance therapy, positional therapy, weight-related interventions, management of nasal obstruction, surgery in selected cases, and/or treatment of contributing conditions.
Home sleep apnea testing is a convenient home-based assessment for appropriate patients with suspected obstructive sleep apnea. Integrative Sleep Care may use WatchPAT or other approved technologies when clinically appropriate.
Ready to Assess Your Sleep?
The introductory call is a non-urgent first step. Tell us a little about your sleep concern and we will help you find the right pathway.
