Either there is evidence by polysomnography of at least 5 obstructive apneas or hypopneas per hour of sleep and associated symptoms, or polysomnography shows 15 or more obstructive apneas or hypopneas per hour even without symptoms.
Associated symptoms may include nocturnal breathing disturbances, snoring, snorting, gasping, breathing pauses during sleep, daytime sleepiness, fatigue, or nonrestorative sleep.

Obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea is a breathing-related sleep disorder in which airflow repeatedly narrows or stops during sleep, often leading to snoring, witnessed apneas, fragmented sleep, and daytime sleepiness. Many patients do not present saying they sleep badly. They present tired, foggy, hypertensive, or told by a partner that they stop breathing.
History clues: Snoring, witnessed apneas, gasping, morning headaches, and excessive daytime sleepiness are often the first clues.
Testing: Diagnosis typically depends on sleep testing rather than interview alone.
Treatment frame: Primary treatment is not psychiatric. Airway-based treatment and sleep medicine management come first, with medication playing a narrower role.
Clinical focus: Common screening tool for obstructive sleep apnea risk.

Common screening tool for obstructive sleep apnea risk.

Useful for tracking daytime sleepiness burden.

AHI and oxygen desaturation burden are central to confirmation and severity framing.

Medication is not a replacement for airway treatment. These agents are used more narrowly for persistent excessive sleepiness in selected patients.

Check drugs.com/sfx for common side effects. Direct side-effect links for the medications in this section are below when available.

This is primarily a sleep medicine and airway disorder rather than an interventional psychiatry target.
Positive airway pressure, oral appliances, and procedural airway approaches are the main treatment lanes.
ECT, TMS, and ketamine are not treatments for OSA itself.

Seek urgent help if there are thoughts of suicide, self-harm, or feeling unable to stay safe.³
Seek urgent help if there are thoughts of harming someone else, escalating violent urges, or loss of behavioral control.³
Take hopelessness seriously, especially if the person feels trapped, cannot imagine staying safe, or is withdrawing from support.⁴
Use emergency services if there is immediate danger, severe agitation, psychosis, intoxication, or inability to care for basic needs. In the United States, call or text 988 for crisis support and call 911 for immediate danger. Use emergency services in your region if you are outside the U.S.³

Simple Psych

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Hypopnea