Posted by sickntired on September 04, 2007 at 14:37:15:

In Reply to: involuntary deep breaths posted by jackie on September 04, 2007 at 13:24:21:

I'm not exactly sure what symptoms you're referring to because they are a little unclear.

First off, if someone takes naps during the day this may prevent him from falling asleep at night when his regular bedtime comes. If he is having problems falling asleep I would have him skip his naps and wait until night to hit the sack.

As for as sleep apnea goes, there are two types. Central sleep apnea and obstructive sleep apnea. Both are characterized by a cessation of breathing.

Central apnea is much less common. This occurs when the brain "forgets" to breath.

The more common apnea is obstructive apnea, which is just like it sounds. This is when the tongue or soft palate (or soft tissues of the throat and mouth) obstruct the air flow. If the airway is complete obstructed, breathing will stop for ten seconds or more (sometimes up to a minute or more) and usually the person will snort or gasp, usually waking up slightly.

Many times these episodes occur when there is snoring; sometimes loud snorning; however, snoring is not always present with sleep apnea.

You can observe him when he is sleeping and see if he stops breathing for a period of time.

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