Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder in which you suffer from breathing problems. Sleep apnea in Commack can be treated at home, or you can consult a doctor if you have irritability, fatigue, or any sleep issues.
However, understanding the cause of your sleep apnea is essential for you and your doctor to treat your sleep disorder.
Types of Sleep Apnea:
- Central sleep apnea
In this type of apnea, your brain fails to send accurate symptoms to your muscles that control breathing.
- Complex sleep apnea
Another name for this apnea is treatment-emergent central sleep apnea. This generally happens to people who have both central sleep and obstructive apnea.
- Obstructive sleep apnea
When your throat muscles relax, you are most likely to suffer from obstructive sleep apnea. This is the most common form of apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea happens when there is a problem related to the mechanics of your breathing. Central sleep apnea occurs when your brain does not give signals to your muscles at the right time.
This can cause you to stop breathing wholly or partially so that you get enough oxygen needed by your body.
Causes of Sleep Apnea
Characteristics that affect sleep apnea include:
- Obesity
Excessive weight gain increases your chances of having sleep apnea. The fat in your body, which is deposited around your upper airways, inhibits your breathing.
- Circumference of the neck
Having a thicker neck leads you to have narrower airways, and this directly helps in causing sleep apnea.
- Narrow throat
You naturally have a narrow throat which is mostly caused by inheritance. If your tonsils get enlarged and block your airway, you get sleep apnea. This happens mostly with children.
- Hereditary
If someone from your family is having sleep apnea it directly increases your risk of having it too.
- Consumption of alcohol
It is consuming alcohol or sedatives, and tranquilizers help in relaxing your muscles. This can worsen obstructive sleep apnea.
- Smoking
Smokers are twice more likely to suffer from sleep apnea than non-smokers. Smoking increases the amount of fluid retention in your body and leads to the upper airway. It also increases inflammation in your body.
- Allergies
Some allergic conditions lead to difficulty in breathing. And this difficulty in breathing can cause obstructive sleep apnea.
- Chronic diseases
Chronic illnesses like high blood pressure, diabetes, and Parkinson’s increase the risk of having obstructive sleep apnea.
In addition to this, polycystic disorders, stroke, and lung diseases can also increase the risk.
Apart from these, excess growth of hormones, problems with the structure of your nose, congested upper airways, and hypothyroidism can also cause sleep apnea.
Regardless of your age, untreated sleep apnea disorder can lead to severe complications in the future. Therefore it is crucial that if you are experiencing any symptoms, you must get an immediate medical consultation.
