Causes and Symptoms of Sleep Apnea
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure here.
Sleep Apnea, a condition in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts in sleep is becoming one of the most common sleep disorders on the planet. Researchers found out that one out of every 10 people experiences some form of it. Everyone should be aware of the causes and symptoms of this dangerous condition so that we can take precautions before getting effected by it. Here is some helpful information about the causes and symptoms of Sleep Apnea.
Sleep Apnea could be caused by anything that narrows down your airway path such as Large tonsils, Obesity, some inflammatory disease, tracheal infection or some hormonal imbalance. Also caused when your brain does not send the signals needed to breathe.
Sleep Apnea can lead to symptoms like Loud snoring and episodes of stopped breathing during sleep, Sleepiness in the mornings, frequent mood swings and headaches, awakens in the morning with a dry mouth or sore throat and lack of concentration during the day.
Types of Sleep Apnea
Sleep Apnea is considered to be of 3 types.
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea
- Central Sleep Apnea
- Mixed or Complex Sleep Apnea
Obstructive Sleep Apnea : This is the most common type of this condition in which your upper airway path becomes narrower and sometimes blocked down frequently in your sleep which leads to reduction or stopping of airflow.
Central Sleep Apnea : This happens when the brain doesn’t send the signals needed to breathe. Some mental health conditions which effects the functioning of brain can cause this condition.
Complex Sleep Apnea : It is a form of central sleep apnea which is identified when using a testing device when obstructing events like blockage of airway are disappeared.
Causes of Sleep APnea
There are several causes of sleep apnea. Some of the causes of obstructive sleep apnea which contracts the airway path are listed below.
- Large Tonsils
- Obesity
- Inflammatory diseases
- Tracheal infection
- Hormonal Imbalance
Central sleep apnea is caused when your brain does not send signals which are needed to breathe.
Symptoms
There are several symptoms of sleep apnea. Some of the symptoms are listed below.
- Snoring loudly
- Episodes of stopped or reduced breathing during sleep
- Sleepiness in the mornings
- Frequent mood swings
- Headaches in the mornings
- Waking up with a dry mouth or sore throat in the mornings
- Lack of concentration during day time
Prevention
Although there is no specific cure as of now for this dangerous condition, there are some measures we can take to prevent this condition.
- Obesity is a common cause for this condition. Excess fat near the chest region can lead to narrowed airway. Therefore, doing exercises and yoga can be very helpful in preventing this condition. If you don’t know where to start, you can check this article where you can learn about the best equipment for effective yoga and exercises.
- Also Hormonal imbalance which is a another major cause of this condition can be controlled by controlling your anxiety and depression problems. Here is an article to learn about the best exercises for anxiety and depression. These exercises can also reduce your stress levels which might help to boost your brain functioning.
- Food intake can also leads to Obesity. To control the calorie intake you can try and use some calorie tracker applications which are very useful in counting the calorie intake. Here is an article about best calorie tracker apps.
Genetic and Familial Influences on the condition
Although researchers say that this condition isn’t necessarily genetic, but factors that contribute to this condition might have hereditary roots. Here are some factors that are genetically influenced.
Most people probably have some genetic predisposition to obesity, depending on their family history and ethnicity. Although obesity might affect your genetically, it can be normalized by taking action. Exercises and yoga might be some options. To know more about how obesity is related to genetics check here.
Certain mental disorders tend to run in families, and having a close relative with a mental disorder could mean you are at a higher risk. If a family member has a mental disorder, it does not necessarily mean you will develop one. Many other factors also play a role. But, having some random mental disorder may or may not be a cause for this condition. Even if it is a cause, there are several remedies for this. Maintaining good mental health by controlling stress, anxiety and depression are some options.
How Age and Gender effect the condition
Researches shown that women are less likely to report snoring compared to men. Although snoring is a very common symptoms for this condition, not everyone who snores have this condition.
Women, compared to men, are more likely to be diagnosed with obesity and seek and obtain all types of obesity treatment including behavioral, pharmacological, and bariatric surgery. As women are more likely to be worried more about their physical appearance compared to men, these statistics might be controversial. Although obesity is the most common cause for this condition, surprisingly the prevalence of having this condition is higher in men that women despite the fact that women are more likely to be diagnosed with obesity.
Coming to age factor, anyone can be diagnosed with this condition – even children. but, studies shown that the older you get, the more likely that you suffer with this condition.
Conditions that effect Sleep APnea
- Having congested heart disorders might increases the chance of getting this condition.
- If previously having stroke increases the risk of central sleep apnea.
- Having high blood pressures increases the chance of getting this condition.
- Having type-2 diabetes increases the chance of getting this condition.
- Taking substances like alcohols and sedatives might increase the risk of having obstructive sleep apnea as these substances relax the muscles of the throat, which is the main cause of this condition.
- Smokers are much more likely to have this condition than the people who never smoked. because, smoking can cause the inflammation in throat which is unnoticeable and it increases the fluid retention in the upper airway path.
This is all about sleep apnea, its causes, symptoms and preventions.
