背景：阻塞性睡眠呼吸中止症（obstructive sleep apnea, OSA）是一種潛在致死性的睡眠呼吸紊亂性疾病，較少有關婦女方面生理或心理影響之研究，故引發探討。目的：探討OSA婦女之生活經驗。方法：本研究以紮根理論之方式，以立意取樣，共訪談10名OSA有居家使用持續陽壓呼吸器之婦女，以面對面深入訪談之方式進行資料收集，資料採持續分析與歸納，以建立OSA婦女生活經驗之描述性理論。結果：研究結果共分為三層面及其類屬歸納如下：一、睡眠差而提不起勁的日子：無法控制的睡眠、察覺健康變差、打鼾有損女性形象；二、一波三折的尋醫歷程：耗時摸索尋找、被催促就醫、驚覺其嚴重性；三、接受使用持續陽壓呼吸器的不一樣生活：適應新睡眠、睡飽的生活、女性生活的隱憂。結論：經OSA婦女之生活經驗研究結果發現，OSA醫療常識及治療應廣泛宣導，並設置專業醫療衛教小組提供持續陽壓呼吸器之相關教育與諮詢，以提升民眾疾病認知及呼吸器治療之適應。

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a potentially lethal respiratory sleep disorder. However, few studies have studied OSA women. Purpose: The purpose of the current study was to explore the life experiences of women with OSA. Method: A qualitative study using the grounded theory method was used to establish a descriptive theory. Results: The results were expressed in terms of three stages with related categories. Stage 1: No interest days due to poor sleep, including ＂uncontrollable sleep＂, ＂perceived health deteriorates＂, and ＂poor female image harmed by snoring＂; Stage 2: Indecision and disappointments during treatment seeking, including ＂doctor shopping＂, ＂being urged by others to seek medical help＂, and ＂being shocked by the severity of disease＂; and Stage 3: Accepting a new lifestyle with a continuous positive pressure respirator, including ＂adaptation of the new sleep＂, ＂adequate sleep＂, and ＂secret worry of being an OSA woman＂. Conclusions: Based on the findings of the present study, medical knowledge and treatments related to OSA should be widely promoted with appropriate professional education and counseling services in order to enhance the awareness of patients and to facilitate their acceptance of the healing process using a continuous positive airway pressure respirator.