4 ms·
But isn't the point of sleep apnea that the lack of air does not wake you up?
by saint_fiasco 8y ago
But isn't the point of sleep apnea that the lack of air does not wake you up?
- Rooster61 8y agoOnly until your brain reaches a threshold where it says "OOOOK, we definitely need to start breathing now. Time to wake up". When you reach that threshold, you wake up on a very low, subconscious level that disrupts your sleep pattern, which in combination with the lower level of oxygen, is what causes the damage to your system. The difference with a malfunctioning machine is that you still cant get air even after that threshold has been hit (or at least it's very difficult to do so). At that point, your brain kicks you totally out of a sleep state and you awake completely.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- Tomte 8y agoNo, the point is that your brain initiates an "emergency procedure", so to speak, when oxygen levels in the blood get too low. This results in a few very quick, gasping breaths and lots and lots of physiological stress, including heightened blood pressure. If lack of air not making you wake up was the problem, patients would die long before seeing a doctor.