Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) affects an estimated 85 million people in the US, and up to 3.9 million in the UK, and is characterized by pauses in breathing that are caused by the throat collapsing and restricting airflow. This can cause issues including snoring, sleep disruption, daytime sleepiness and headaches.
While being overweight and lifestyle habits such as smoking and drinking alcohol can contribute to causing OSA and make it worse, a new study has found that an environmental issue common in cities, air pollution, can also increase severity.
