What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common form of sleep apnea. Apnea means the absence of breath, or a period of time, a person does not breathe. OSA refers to when a person stops breathing during sleep due to an obstruction in the airway. An obstruction can occur for many reasons. However, the most common causes are the tongue blocking the airway or the sides of the airway collapsing.