Sleep apnea is a chronic condition that pauses the breath of a person while they are asleep. The soft tissue at the back of the throat reclines and obstructs a person’s airway while they sleep. It affects people of all ages, however, sleep apnea occurs most often in adults over the age of 60. In fact, over 20% of all older adults in the United States are affected by this disorder.

Not only does sleep apnea affect the quality of a person’s sleep, but also impacts other areas of their health and quality of life, causing headaches, memory problems, and puts sufferers at risk of developing more serious conditions such as stroke or cardiac arrest. A study by the University of California San Francisco pointed out a particular concern to older adults with the discovery of a link between sleep apnea and an increase in dementia in older women due to the oxygen deprivation as a result of this condition.