So what causes sleep apnea and what are some of the health risks?
Causes of Sleep Apnea
There are many different factors that can contribute to the development of sleep apnea. Some of the factors involve specific health issues while others involve your overall physical structure. Here are a few factors that can play a role in causing sleep apnea:
- Enlarged Tissues: If the tissues on your tonsils and your tongue in the rear of your mouth are larger than the size of your air passages this can lead to air blockage when the muscles of your throat relax more than they should when you sleep at night.
- Reduction in Brain Signals: As you get older the ability of brain signals to maintain stiffness in your throat is reduced. This causes the air passage to narrow which can result in breathing blockage during sleep.
- Obesity: If you are overweight this can produce excess fatty tissue on the wall of your air passages. The buildup of fatty tissues causes the air passage to become smaller which makes it more difficult to keep the passage open during sleep.
- Bone Structure: The shape of your neck and head can cause the air passage to become smaller in your throat and mouth area which can cause air blockage during sleep. The bone structure in your jaw can also play a similar role and cause you to have episodes of breathing blockage during the course of the night.
If the air passage is blocked when you sleep this leads to a reduction in blood oxygen and loud snoring. If the oxygen level becomes dangerous this will trigger your brain to awake you so the air passage will stiffen which opens your windpipe and allows air to pass into your lungs.
Health Risks of Sleep Apnea
There are many different health risks which can be triggered by sleep apnea which is why this type of illness should never go untreated. The main health risks can be caused by a drop in the blood oxygen level especially if it is allowed to drop to a dangerous level. The frequent reduction in blood oxygen coupled with problems sleeping contributes to the release of stress hormones.
When stress hormones are released it causes your heart rate to increase which can lead to complications such as heart arrhythmia or irregular heartbeat, hypertension or high blood pressure, stroke, or a heart attack. If too many stress hormones are released and if they are released too frequently this can raise your risk of heart failure.
If sleep apnea is left untreated then this means that you will experience a long period of sleep deprivation or irregular sleep. If you are sleep deprived for any length of time it makes you feel tired during the day and changes the normal process that your body learns to use energy. This can lead to the onset of diabetes and obesity.
People at Risk
If you are overweight or have a history of diabetes in your family it can place you at risk for developing sleep apnea. The same rule applies if someone in your family or multiple relatives suffer from sleep apnea because it increases your chances of developing sleep apnea at some point in your life.
Sleep apnea tends to be more common in men especially if they are aged 60 or older. Women can also develop sleep apnea as they get older or as the result of going through menopause. Sleep apnea has also been known to occur in women during pregnancy.
If you are prone to narrow air passages in your mouth and throat or your head and neck are a specific shape and size, this can place you at risk for developing sleep apnea. Additionally, if you have health issues that cause congestion such as asthma or allergies it can lead to sleep apnea.
Adults who smoke or have an existing heart condition may also develop sleep apnea and according to statistics, more than half of the people that develop sleep apnea have high blood pressure and are overweight.
