What does OSA stand for?

• A. Obstructive Sleep Arousal
• B. Obstructive Sleep Analysis
• C. Obstructive Sleep Anomaly
• D. Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Answer: (D)

OSA stands for Obstructive Sleep Apnea, a common sleep disorder in which the upper airway repeatedly collapses during sleep. This blockage causes pauses in breathing (apneas) or very shallow breaths (hypopneas) for at least 10 seconds, leading to drops in blood oxygen and repeated awakenings that fragment sleep. The term emphasizes a physical obstruction during sleep, not arousal or analysis. The other terms listed aren’t used to name this condition—arousal describes transitions between sleep stages, while analysis and anomaly aren’t clinical names for the disorder.