COLUMBUS, Ohio — Maddy Dumas was only 30 years old and in good shape when she was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea , a condition that affects nearly 30 million Americans.

Despite sleeping eight hours each night, she struggled to stay awake during the day, and woke with heavy headaches. Her husband's complaints about loud snoring and choking sounds at night prompted her to seek medical help.

"As a 30-year-old woman in good shape, I didn't look like the stereotypical sleep apnea patient," Dumas said. "I wasn't old or overweight. My body was telling me something was wrong."

Sleep medicine physicians at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center are increasingly diagnosing younger people with the disorder . According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, approximately 80

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