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Debunking Common Myths About Sleep Apnea

Written by Felix Team | Reviewed by Dr. Andrea Rowe, MD | Updated Sep 15, 2026
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Key Takeaways

  • Sleep apnea is a condition where you stop breathing or slows while sleeping, which causes your body’s oxygen levels to drop.
  • Many factors can raise your risk of sleep apnea, which is why there's no single one-size-fits-all fix. These include excess weight, older age, being male, large tonsils or adenoids, a naturally narrow or crowded airway, nasal congestion, alcohol before bed, smoking, family history, and pregnancy.
  • Snoring does not always mean you have sleep apnea. The only way to know for sure is to get tested with a sleep study.
  • Anyone at any age can develop sleep apnea — not just seniors, and even children. Losing weight can improve symptoms but doesn't guarantee a cure.
  • There is no single treatment that will work for everyone, but for many patients, a CPAP machine can assist with improving sleep quality. Getting diagnosed with sleep apnea does not automatically guarantee that you will have access to weight loss medications.
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Living with any kind of condition that affects your  sleep can be challenging, but it’s hard enough on its own without being misled by myths and misconceptions making it more confusing.

This page tackles some of the common myths about sleep apnea and gives you clear, evidence-based facts to replace these misconceptions and generalizations.

Understanding sleep apnea

This article focuses on obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the most common type, in which the airway is briefly blocked during sleep. A less common type, central sleep apnea, happens when the brain temporarily stops sending the signal to breathe — the airway isn’t blocked – and it’s often linked to conditions like heart failure or certain medications.[1][2]

There are some common signs of sleep apnea to look out for, which can make it easier for you to identify when t it’s time to consider getting a sleep study done.

The science behind why sleep apnea happens

The reason that sleep apnea occurs is that your airway becomes fully or partly blocked while you sleep. Your breathing briefly stops or slows, and your blood oxygen levels drop until your body rouses enough to reopen the airway.[1][2]

There are a many factors that increase your risk that sleep apnea can occur, including things like:

  • Excess weight
  •  Older age
  •  Male gender
  •  Large tonsils or adenoids
  •  A naturally narrow or crowded airway (for example, a small or set-back jaw)
  •  Nasal congestion or blockage
  •  Alcohol, especially near bedtime
  •  Smoking
  •  Family history
  •  Pregnancy[2][3]

Regardless of the reasons, repeated pauses in breathing can be harmful over time, especially if they’re frequent and left untreated.[9][3]

That’s why understanding the truth about sleep apnea is so important.

6 common myths about sleep apnea:

1) Snoring always means sleep apnea

Snoring is one of the most common signs of sleep apnea, but this is by no means a definitive indicator of the presence of sleep apnea. Plenty of things can cause snoring that have nothing to do with sleep apnea – like a cold or a stuffy nose from congestion, which can make snoring more likely, especially if you have a naturally narrow airway.[2][3]

What raises the concern is the combination of loud, habitual snoring plus witnessed pauses in breathing, gasping or choking during sleep, and daytime sleepiness. If that sounds like you, it’s worth talking to a healthcare practitioner about getting a sleep study to see if you could be living with sleep apnea..[2][3]

2) You can get a diagnosis without a sleep study

This is extremely unlikely, and it won’t be possible through Felix. Symptoms and questionnaires alone can’t confirm sleep apnea or measure how severe it is, which is why sleep testing is required.[4]

There are two main ways to test:

  1. In-lab sleep study (polysomnography): You spend the night at a sleep facility. Sensors record your breathing (airflow and chest/abdomen effort), blood oxygen, heart rhythm, brain-wave sleep stages, eye and leg movements, and body position. Snoring is one of many signals recorded, but the diagnosis is based mainly on how often your breathing pauses or drops – not on sound alone.[2]
  2. Home sleep apnea test: Many people can now be tested in their own bed. You apply a few sensors yourself before going to sleep. This is an established option for otherwise-healthy adults with suspected moderate-to-severe sleep apnea. It’s generally not recommended if you have significant heart or lung disease, and if a home test is negative but suspicion remains high, an in-lab study may still be needed.[4][10]

Once testing is complete, the results are shared with your healthcare team so an accurate diagnosis can be made. Ask your practitioner which type of test makes sense for you.[4]

3) Weight loss automatically cures sleep apnea

This is a half-truth that has been blown into full myth status, because losing weight is often helpful in reducing your apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), a measure of how often your breathing pauses or slows each hour, according to a meta-analysis if excess weight is contributing to your sleep apnea.

However, weight loss also isn’t guaranteed to resolve the problem, especially if something else – like your airway anatomy – is a major contributor.

Don’t let this deter you from continuing to focus on your metabolic health and weight management journeys, because these two factors can play a huge role in your long-term quality of life – sleep apnea aside.

4) Only seniors get sleep apnea

This is patently untrue, and one of the most dangerous myths about sleep apnea that exists out there, since it may encourage certain younger patients living with sleep apnea to avoid getting a sleep study performed and go untreated.

The truth is that anyone can have sleep apnea. Even children. It really depends on the factors that we were talking about that can cause sleep apnea.

In kids, it’s most often related to enlarged tonsils or adenoids, excess weight, and facial or jaw structure.[5][7]

A child with enlarged tonsils or a naturally narrow airway can develop it. So can a woman who becomes pregnant in her early 20s. It has far less to do with age than with the underlying risk factors.[2][7]

5) Getting a sleep apnea diagnosis automatically means you’re approved for weight loss medications

This is untrue. This isn’t how it works. These are two separate assessments: a sleep study is used to diagnose sleep apnea, while eligibility for weight-loss medication is based on other criteria, mainly your body size, weight-related health conditions and body composition to name a few.

So, while these two conditions are connected, a diagnosis and treatment for one does not automatically qualify you for treatment of the other.

6) There is a single treatment solution that will work for everyone

This is also untrue; as you can see, there are many different contributors to the development of  sleep apnea, and in most cases, addressing the underlying cause of the sleep apnea may be the best treatment.

Unfortunately, this means that the same treatment won’t necessarily work for everyone. For many people, a CPAP machine is highly effective – it keeps the airway open during sleep and can dramatically improve sleep quality. But it doesn’t suit everyone, and staying consistent with it can be a challenge. Other options include oral appliances, positional therapy, weight management, and surgery.[8][10][3]

If you haven’t yet gotten a sleep study, and you believe that you could benefit from treatment, then your best bet is to talk to your healthcare team about getting a sleep study.[3]

When is it a good idea to talk to a healthcare practitioner about sleep apnea symptoms?

It’s worth reaching out when you notice the warning signs (i.e., loud snoring with pauses in breathing, gasping or choking during sleep, or feeling excessively sleepy during the day), or when poor sleep starts affecting your daily life. Unless a temporary cause (like pregnancy) resolves on its own, sleep apnea usually won’t go away by itself.[2][3]

When this occurs, you should take the time to have a virtual assessment with one of our healthcare practitioners. They’ll be able to refer you for a sleep study – whether in a lab or, where appropriate, at home – so you can find out for certain whether you’re living with sleep apnea.

With Felix in your corner, you can get the support and information you need to start sleeping better to start improving your quality of life, so you can live on your terms – the way it should be.

REFERENCES

Medically reviewed by

Dr. Andrea Rowe, MD

Emergency Medicine (ABEM) and Obesity Medicine (ABOM) Physician, Assistant Medical Director at Felix.

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