Sleep Apnea Often Goes Undetected in Women. That’s Starting to Change

In midlife, women are told to expect disruption. Sleep may become lighter, nights can feel warmer, and energy harder to come by. Hormones shift, and the body adjusts. But for a large number of women, something else is happening as well: Their airway is collapsing dozens of times an hour while they sleep.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), once framed as a disorder primarily affecting older, heavier men, is increasingly recognized as a far more complex and often undetected condition, particularly in women navigating perimenopause and menopause.

OSA occurs when the upper airway narrows or collapses during sleep, oxygen levels dip, and the brain briefly rouses the body to restart breathing. For years it was framed as a single disorder with a familiar face. Now researchers understand it as far more complex: a heterogeneous condition shaped by different biological mechanisms and expressed through different symptom patterns. Yet the older, larger, male ...