Hypopnea is a medical term for abnormally shallow breathing or slow respiratory rate. This differs from apnea in that there remains some flow of air. Hypopnea comes from the Greek roots hypo- (meaning low, under, beneath, down, below normal) and pnoe (meaning breathing). Literally it means underbreathing.

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The direct consequence of hypopnea (as well as apnea) is that the CO₂ in the blood increases and the oxygen level in the patient’s blood decreases proportionate to the severity of the airway obstruction. This disruptive pattern of breathing generates disruptive sleep patterns, the consequences of which being that those individuals exhibit increased fatigability, lethargy, decreased ability to concentrate, increased irritability, and morning headaches. Basically, those individuals are extremely tired due to their inability to get a good night’s sleep.

Among the causes of hypopnea there are:^{[1] [2]}

• Anatomical defects such as nasal septum deformation or congenital narrowness of nasal meati and the gullet
• Overweight and obesity
• Neuromuscular disease or any condition that entails weakened respiratory muscles
• Use of sedatives (sleeping pills, etc.)
• Alcohol abuse
• smoking
• Aging

and some others that are typical of snoring and sleep apnea

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Hypopnea is a disorder that results in excessive daytime sleepiness and compromised quality of life, including traffic accidents, diminished productivity in the work place and emotional problems.

Cardiovascular consequences of hypopnea include myocardial infarction, stroke, psychiatric problems, impotence, cognitive dysfunction, hypertension, coronary heart disease, and memory loss.