Sleep Apnea in Spanish

What it means

Sleep apnea is a common condition that occurs when your breathing stops and restarts many times while you sleep, which can prevent the body from getting enough oxygen. There are two types. Obstructive sleep apnea, the most common type, happens when the upper airway becomes blocked many times during sleep. Central sleep apnea occurs when the brain does not send the signals needed to breathe. People with sleep apnea often snore loudly, but not everyone who snores has sleep apnea, and interrupted sleep can cause drowsiness during the day. To diagnose it, a provider may order a sleep study. Breathing devices, such as continuous positive air pressure (CPAP) machines, and lifestyle changes are common sleep apnea treatments.

Spanish term: Apnea del sueño
Gender and article: feminine: la apnea del sueño
Pronunciation: ahp-NEH-ah del SWEH-nyoh

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
apnea	General	Short form; MedlinePlus en español uses the single word in its summary after giving the full term.
respiración alterada durante el sueño	General	MedlinePlus en español lists it among the alternative names of its article on obstructive sleep apnea in adults; the English MedlinePlus page gives "Sleep-disordered breathing" as another name for sleep apnea.

Apnea del sueño is the term used by both MedlinePlus en español and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), and it is feminine: la apnea del sueño. The two types are apnea obstructiva del sueño, which NHLBI abbreviates AOS (OSA in English), and apnea central del sueño. The MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia explains the word itself: when the tissues of the throat close and block the airway during sleep, that stop in breathing is called apnea.

Words that go with it are roncar (to snore) and ronquido (snoring), somnolencia diurna excesiva (excessive daytime sleepiness) and estudio del sueño (sleep study), which MedlinePlus en español also calls an examen del sueño. The machine keeps its English abbreviation in Spanish: NHLBI writes máquinas de presión de aire positiva continua (CPAP, por sus siglas en inglés). MedlinePlus en español calls mouthpieces dispositivos bucales and breathing devices aparatos para la respiración.

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	My partner says that I snore loudly and that I stop breathing while I sleep.	Mi pareja dice que ronco muy fuerte y que dejo de respirar mientras duermo.
Clinician	Do you wake up gasping for air or with a choking feeling?	¿Se despierta jadeando o con sensación de ahogo?
Patient	Yes, and I am very sleepy during the day, even after a full night in bed.	Sí, y tengo mucho sueño durante el día, aunque pase toda la noche en la cama.
Clinician	Have you ever dozed off while driving or at work?	¿Alguna vez le ha vencido el sueño al conducir o en el trabajo?
Clinician	I am going to order a sleep study to see if you have sleep apnea.	Voy a pedirle un estudio del sueño para ver si tiene apnea del sueño.
Patient	Is the sleep study done at home, or do I have to spend the night at a center?	¿El estudio del sueño se hace en casa o tengo que pasar la noche en un centro?
Clinician	The study showed obstructive sleep apnea. Let's talk about the CPAP machine.	El estudio mostró apnea obstructiva del sueño. Hablemos de la máquina de CPAP.
Patient	The mask bothers me at night. Can someone show me how to adjust it?	La mascarilla me molesta por la noche. ¿Alguien puede enseñarme a ajustarla?

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Sleep Apnea
Spanish (Español)	Apnea del sueño
Chinese (中文)	睡眠呼吸中止症
Korean (한국어)	수면 무호흡증
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Ngưng thở khi ngủ
Filipino (Tagalog)	Sleep Apnea
Portuguese (Português)	Apneia do sono
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	ภาวะหยุดหายใจขณะหลับ
Japanese (日本語)	睡眠時無呼吸症候群

Where you'll see it

chartEOBmedical recordprescription

Related ICD-10-CM category

ICD-10-CM code: G47 → Sleep disorders

Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: Lungs and breathing

All terms in this area: Lungs and breathing — Pulmones y respiración

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.