Apneic episodes cause the oxygen levels
in blood to decrease and carbon dioxide levels to
rise, meaning that the heart, brain and other vital
tissues are deprived of oxygenated blood. In addition
to that, blood pressure rises sharply in both the
pulmonary and systemic arteries, and the heart slows
and may even stop for a few seconds. These changes
are temporarily reversed when breathing resumes. In
severe cases, the physical conditions caused by or
associated with sleep apnea are suspected to be a
possible cause of many deaths, which occur during
sleep. One example is the "Sudden Infant Death
Syndrome" where infants, who apparently are normal
in every waking aspect, die during sleep and no reason
for their deaths can be found.
Foreword
