Who can suffer from Sleep Apnea

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Sleep apnea is a condition in which breathing stops while sleeping, at least 20 to 30 times per hour. Every time you stop breathing in sleep, the lack of oxygen alerts your brain which wakes you up again to start normal breathing. The time the sleep apnea patients are awake is a brief one, so most of them do not remember it. Most of them feel that they are getting a good sleep when in fact they are not. There are various types of people who can suffer from sleep apnea depending on their history, health conditions and many other factors.

Who can suffer from Sleep Apnea

Two Types of Sleep Apnea

  • Obstructive sleep apnea
  • Central sleep apnea

Central Sleep Apnea

Central sleep apnea is not the common type of apnea. It is rarely found in people.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type of sleep apnea. About 84 percent of people suffering from apnea have obstructive sleep apnea. Here are some types of people who can suffer from sleep apnea.

Excessive Weight

The excess weight results in additional layers of fat in the upper airway where most of the obstruction occurs. Due to excessive fat deposit, the airway is narrowed near a choke point in airway. About 50 percent of people suffering from sleep apnea are overweight. It is not that you are overweight, so you will suffer from sleep apnea or you are thin, so you will not experience sleep apnea. The main condition is that people who are overweight have higher chances of suffering from sleeping apnea.

Narrowed Airways

There are few people who are naturally born with narrow airways. As the airway is narrow, there are higher chances of it getting blocked by some soft tissues or by tongue while sleeping. So a person with narrow airways can suffer from sleep apnea.

Neck Circumference

Neck circumference plays an important role in obstructive sleep apnea. The thick neck possesses a narrow airway and also states the excessive weight which is again the main reason for sleep apnea. People having thick neck circumference can easily get sleep apnea.

Age

Age again plays a major role in sleep apnea. As you get older, you have less muscle tone which states that the soft tissue located near the throat can collapse and cause sleep apnea. So elderly people are more likely to get sleep apnea than the young ones.

Enlarged Adenoids or Tonsils

The enlarged adenoids or tonsils have higher risks of getting obstructive sleep apnea as it narrows airways and becomes obstructed. This causes obstructive sleep apnea in people suffering from enlarged tonsils and adenoids.

Diabetes

Diabetes and sleep apnea are linked with each other. They both increase the risk of having each other. People having obstructive sleep apnea can get diabetes and people suffering from diabetes can get obstructive sleep apnea.

Male

Males are more likely to suffer from sleep apnea then females. This is because men have thicker necks than females and possess narrow airways as compared to the size of their tongues.

Chronic Nasal Congestion

People suffering from chronic nasal congestion are more likely to suffer from obstructive sleep apnea. This is due to the narrow airways or due to the fact that the nasal congestion stops the airflow from nose which is helpful in keeping the airways open.

Hypertension

People suffering from hyper tension and high blood pressure are more likely to get obstructive sleep apnea. It can also be related as people suffering from obstructive sleep apnea may get hypertension.

Smoking

Smokers are the ones who can easily get sleep apnea. Smokers are three times more likely to get apnea as compared to non smokers.

Alcohol Sedatives and Tranquilizers

Alcohol, tranquilizers and sedatives relax your muscles present at the back side of your throat. This will collapse and cause obstruction in your throat while breathing, which causes sleep apnea.

Family History

Those people who have family history of getting sleep apnea are at a higher risk of getting obstructive sleep apnea. Genetics play a major role in narrowing the airway and causing apnea.

Menopause

Women who are at the menopause stage are at higher risk of getting sleep apnea. Age is again the reason behind it and many other factors contribute to get sleep apnea in women.

These are the people who can suffer from sleep apnea.