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<span style="color:#FF0000">This article is a [[stub]]. You can help the '''Apnea Board Wiki''' by expanding it with additional information and sections. For help on the proper way to edit a wiki page, go to the [[Apnea Board Editor Guide]].
'''Hypopnea (sometimes spelled ''hypopnœa'')''' is a medical term for a disorder which involves episodes of overly shallow breathing or an abnormally low [[respiratory rate]]. This differs from [[apnea]] in that there remains some flow of air. Hypopnea events may happen while asleep or while awake.
During sleep, hypopnea is classed as a [[sleep disorder]]. With moderate to severe hypopnea, sleep is disturbed such that patients may get a full night's sleep but still not feel rested because they did not get the right kind of sleep. The disruption in breathing causes a drop in [[blood oxygen level]], which may in turn disrupt the [[stages of sleep]].
Daytime hypopnea events are mostly limited to those with severely compromised respiratory muscles, as occurs in some neuromuscular diseases. Similarly, daytime hypopnea can also cause a drop in blood oxygen level.
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