A sleep disorder is a disorder in the sleep patterns of animals and humans. Sleep apnea is a type of sleep disorder that is characterized by abnormal pauses in breathing or shallow breathing while sleeping. Apnea is the term used to describe pauses in breathing. These pauses can last for minutes and may occur more than 30 times in an hour. Abnormally shallow breathing is called hypopnea. This disorder is usually diagnosed by an overnight test called polysomnogram.

Obstructive; central; and complex or mixed are the three kinds of this apnea. Obstructive is when breathing is interrupted by a physical block to their airflow despite respiratory effort. Snoring often accompanies this form. Central is when there is a lack of respiratory effort that interrupts the normal breathing cycle. Many individuals who suffer from these disorders are unaware of it.

The effects of these disorders can impact the cognition of a person. Common symptoms and effects: slowed reaction time, problems with vision, trouble processing information and daytime fatigue. Some effects on the behavior include moodiness, aggressiveness and decreased motivation. Many of these reactions can negatively impact work, especially in occupations where machine operating and manual labor are required.

Usually these disorders affect men and women in their middle ages and they have been for centuries. In 1981, Colin Sullivan and his associates described the continuous positive airway pressure. This transformed the management of obstructive sleep apnea. Since then, the desire to seek out and treat individuals with these disorders has resulted in hundreds of sleep disorder clinics worldwide.