Diagnosing OSA (obstructive sleep apnea)

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by abnormal pauses in breathing or instances of 

abnormally shallow breathing, during sleep. Each pause or cessation in breathing is called an apnea,

 can last from a few seconds to minutes, and may occur 5 to 30 times or more an hour. Similarly, 

each abnormally low breathing event is called a hypopnea. Sleep apnea is diagnosed with an 

overnight sleep test called a polysomnography, or "sleep study".

Diagnosis of OSA usually happens at a sleep clinic. Sleep study is simple test requiring no needle prick or pain. It is done with few probes overnight when the person sleeps.