What are the causes of sleep apnea?
Question by Cookie Man: What are the causes of sleep apnea?
Im researching sleep apnea can someone please tell em what the causes are.
Also please add the associated effects of sleep apnea
Best answer:
Answer by fried_twinkie1
Sometimes it can be a blockage; frequently it is common in people who are overweight and have trouble keeping their air passages open. I’m sure you can google this ailment and find good information for your research.
Do the research to get most of your answers. But in my opinion, a likely cause (or at least a triggering factor) is the use of anesthesia. It’s not well reported or studied, and I suspect the anesthesiology industry would like to keep it that way.
Blocked or narrowed airways in your nose, mouth, or throat can cause sleep apnea. Your airway can become blocked when your throat muscles and tongue relax during sleep.
Sleep apnea can also occur if you have large tonsils or adenoids or a large uvula. During the day, when you are awake and standing up, these may not cause problems. But when you lie down at night, they can press down on your airway, narrowing it and causing sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can also occur if you have a problem with your jawbone.
In children, the main cause of sleep apnea is large tonsils or adenoids.
Sleep apnea is more likely to occur if you are overweight, use certain medicines or alcohol before bed, or sleep on your back.
Here are the most common causes of sleep apnea:
- male gender – researchers have observed that men have greater chances to have sleep apnea than women.
- It’s more common in African-Americans and Hispanics than in Caucasians.
- People who are overweight (Body Mass Index of 25 to 29) and obese (BMI of 30 and above).
- Men and women with large neck size: 17 inches or more for men, 16 inches or more for women.
- People with abnormalities of the soft tissue structure of the head and neck.
- Children with large tonsils and adenoids.
- People with Down Syndrome
- Increasing age – when you become older, there is an increased risk to get a sleep disorder.
- family history of sleep apnea.
- drugs, such as narcotics, benzodiazepines and alcohol.
- Smokers