President Joe Biden requires the help of a continuous positive airway pressure machine to keep him breathing normally at night, Breitbart reported. The president has a history of sleep apnea but he began wearing the device this week, suggesting the situation has become an emergency.

People who suffer from sleep apnea stop or slow their breathing several times a night as their airway becomes blocked. A CPAP is used to keep a constant air supply flowing for sleep apnea sufferers. 

"Since 2008, the president has disclosed his history with sleep apnea in thorough medical reports," Andrew Bates, White House deputy press secretary, told the press. "He used a CPAP machine last night, which is common for people with that history."

Bates had to address the issue after Biden was seen with strange indentations on both sides of his face. The mask is strapped to the face, which lines up with the placement of those markings.

While quite common and treatable, sleep apnea can cause serious side effects if left untreated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Notably, insufficient sleep has been linked to the development and management of a number of chronic diseases and conditions, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and depression," the CDC stated.

This is a problem as Biden is already the oldest president at 80 years old. He also has a history of atrial fibrillation, which is an irregular heartbeat, going back as far as 2006, Politico reported at the time.

The irregular heartbeat was attributed to many factors, including a gallbladder removal in June 2003. However, doctors directly blamed the heart rhythm problem on his sleep apnea in November 2006.

This is troubling if Biden has only begun wearing his CPAP mask to breathe at night while risking disease and death. Perhaps it wouldn't be as concerning if Biden was otherwise outwardly healthy.

However, the president's cognitive and physical decline is increasingly difficult to deny considering his public behavior. During a live MSNBC interview Thursday, Biden wandered off the set before the host went to a commercial break, Fox News reported.

Social media was alight with jokes about the president's penchant for simply wandering off while others used it to skewer Biden more broadly. "YOU sit in the chair, YOU smile at the pretty lady, YOU stay until we come get you," Jim Treacher, Substack author, joked using Biden's habit of needing cheat sheets.

Biden also took a nasty spill at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado on June 1 after tripping over a sandbag, Reuters reported. Just the year before, Biden fell off his bicycle in front of reporters.

The stairs of Air Force One have also tripped up the elderly leader more than once, the Daily Mail reported. In March 2021, Biden lost his footing three times while ascending the stairs to the plane.

Then, in March 2023, he had two incidents just weeks apart where he had trouble with the staircase once again. All the while, the White House has maintained that Biden is "healthy" and "vigorous" despite clear evidence to the contrary, according to CNN.

Evidence is piling up suggesting that Biden is not well and getting worse. This recent revelation about sleep apnea is an unusual admission from the White House, but it nevertheless points to growing concerns about his overall fitness to serve.