{"id":1674,"date":"2020-03-12T21:50:41","date_gmt":"2020-03-12T21:50:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nolfinal.wpengine.com\/?page_id=1674"},"modified":"2024-02-05T13:58:54","modified_gmt":"2024-02-05T18:58:54","slug":"sleep-apnea","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.nickortizlaw.com\/practice-areas\/long-term-disability-insurance-erisa-lawyer\/medical-conditions\/sleep-apnea\/","title":{"rendered":"Sleep Apnea and Long-Term Disability Insurance Claims"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Patients with sleep apnea may be unable to work because of their disease and its related complications. Patients who find themselves unable to work because of their sleep apnea may qualify for\u00a0long-term disability (LTD)\u00a0<\/a>benefits. The insurance company will review their claim to see if they qualify under the conditions of that plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Sleep Apnea Affects You<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Sleep apnea is a disability that causes you to stop breathing repeatedly during sleep. In a standard six to eight-hour sleep period, one with sleep apnea will periodically stop breathing for as long as up to a minute at a time. Breathing will start again after a while and may be accompanied by a loud noise (snoring).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Cause of Sleep Apnea<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sleep apnea may be caused when the air passages are blocked, which may be due to a collapse in tissue in the back of the throat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Effect of Sleep Apnea<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The body is deprived of oxygen while the brain tries to get air flowing again. The sleeper may have a shallow sleep, waking up feeling unrefreshed. Because the quality of sleep is drastically reduced and because the individual may have awakened numerous times throughout the night, those suffering from sleep apnea may still feel tired despite a full night\u2019s sleep. As a result, the individual may fall asleep during waking hours because he or she did not get sufficient rest due to sleep apnea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Types of Sleep Apnea<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are three major types of sleep apnea:<\/p>\n\n\n\n