President Joe Biden Suffers From Sleep Apnea — But What Exactly Does That Mean?

Rumors swirled that President Joe Biden may be diagnosed with sleep apnea after he was photographed with several odd marks on his face.

The talk began last week on Wednesday, June 28, after a social media user shared a series of pictures emphasizing the puzzling indentations, tweeting: "What the heck did Biden have strapped on his face that made these marks this morning?"

"Mine [my] CPAP does that to me. I usually have a mark on my forehead as well. Only thing I hate about it," one person replied in the comments section, with a second adding, "My first thought was a CPAP, yea I have seen a coworker come into work with the marks still on his face. Not often though, be probably woke up late."

A sometimes dangerous disorder, sleep apnea is characterized by a patient's breathing repeatedly stopping and then starting again while sleeping. The CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine ensures a patient's airway stays open to keep them breathing steadily when asleep.

Untreated, sleep apnea can potentially lead to death, especially in older patients.

Following the online back-and-forth, White House spokesman Andrew Bates confirmed the diagnosis in a statement that read: "Since 2008, the president has disclosed his history with sleep apnea in thorough medical reports. He used a CPAP machine last night, which is common for people with that history."

Prior to the White House's announcement, sleep expert Dr. Joseph Krainin (MD), Medical Advisor at SleepApnea.org, stated he agreed with the ongoing speculation.

"It looks like the sort of indentation one would expect from a CPAP mask," Dr. Krainin explained after the images surfaced. "If you look at photos of popular CPAP mask styles you can see how the strap would leave a similar mark as the one we see on President Biden."

"Sleep apnea is very common and the risk increases with age," he continued. "As the oldest U.S. President ever, it would not be surprising if President Biden was being treated for sleep apnea."

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Dr. Krainin noted that it's very common for patients with sleep apnea to "over tighten their masks, which can leave marks that last for hours after awakening."

"We also know that President Biden has a history of a ruptured brain aneurysm, which could predispose him to a certain type of sleep apnea where is brain forgets to breathe during sleep," he concluded.