sleep apnea

noun

A common sleep-related breathing disorder characterized by repeated episodes of partial or complete cessation of airflow during sleep, leading to intermittent hypoxemia, hypercapnia, sleep fragmentation, and recurrent arousals.

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Meanings

nounsleep apnea (countable and uncountable, plural sleep apneas)

plural sleep apneas · alternative sleep apnoea

  1. UScountableuncountablemedicineA common sleep-related breathing disorder characterized by repeated episodes of partial or complete cessation of airflow during sleep, leading to intermittent hypoxemia, hypercapnia, sleep fragmentation, and recurrent arousals.

Translations

Arabic اِنْقِطَاع النَّفَس أَثْنَاء النَّوْم
  • اِنْقِطَاع النَّفَس أَثْنَاء النَّوْم (inqiṭāʕ an-nafas ʔaṯnāʔ an-nawm)brief interruptions of breathing during sleep
Catalan apnea del son
  • apnea del sonbrief interruptions of breathing during sleep
Chinese Mandarin 睡眠呼吸暫停 /睡眠呼吸暂停
  • 睡眠呼吸暫停 /睡眠呼吸暂停 (shuìmián hūxī zàntíng)brief interruptions of breathing during sleep
Czech spánková apnoe
  • spánková apnoebrief interruptions of breathing during sleep
Danish søvnapnø
  • søvnapnøbrief interruptions of breathing during sleep
Dutch slaapapneu
  • slaapapneubrief interruptions of breathing during sleep
Finnish uniapnea
  • uniapneabrief interruptions of breathing during sleep
French apnée du sommeil
  • apnée du sommeilbrief interruptions of breathing during sleep
German Schlafapnoe-Syndrom
  • Schlafapnoe-Syndrombrief interruptions of breathing during sleep
Irish aipnia chodlata
  • aipnia chodlatabrief interruptions of breathing during sleep
Italian apnea notturna, apnea nell sonno
  • apnea notturnabrief interruptions of breathing during sleep
  • apnea nell sonnobrief interruptions of breathing during sleep
Japanese 睡眠時無呼吸
  • 睡眠時無呼吸 (suiminji mukokyū)brief interruptions of breathing during sleep
Korean 수면 무호흡증
  • 수면 무호흡증 (sumyeon muhoheupjeung)brief interruptions of breathing during sleep
Latvian miega apnoja
  • miega apnojabrief interruptions of breathing during sleep
Māori moe hātū
  • moe hātūbrief interruptions of breathing during sleep
Polish bezdech senny
  • bezdech sennybrief interruptions of breathing during sleep
Portuguese apneia do sono
  • apneia do sonobrief interruptions of breathing during sleep
Russian апноэ во сне
  • апноэ во сне (apnoe vo sne)brief interruptions of breathing during sleep
Slovak spánkové apnoe
  • spánkové apnoebrief interruptions of breathing during sleep
Spanish apnea del sueño
  • apnea del sueñobrief interruptions of breathing during sleep
Swedish sömnapné
  • sömnapnébrief interruptions of breathing during sleep
Turkish uyku apnesi
  • uyku apnesibrief interruptions of breathing during sleep
Cite this entry
APA

sleep apnea. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sleep%20apnea

MLA

“sleep apnea.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sleep%20apnea. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sleep apnea,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sleep%20apnea.

Source: sleep apnea on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.