What is the cause of sleep apnea? It occurs when a person experiences an interruption in breathing during sleep.
Several things can be considered a cause though.
Some people may experience a relaxing of the tongue and throat muscles during sleep, which will partially block the airway opening.
The muscles at the base of the tongue and the uvula relax and cause the airway to become blocked.
When the airway is blocked a persons breathing becomes difficult and noisy and in the case of sleep apnea can stop altogether.
The uvula is the small fleshy piece of tissue hanging from the back of a person's throat.
Obesity is also a sleep apnea cause.
Overweight people can have excess amount of tissue in their airway thus causing it to narrow.
The problem then is that the person continues to try to breathe normally but air cannot flow in or out of their nose or mouth.
Since the person is sleeping, they do not know that they are now snoring heavily or experiencing periods of no breathing.
The person will also frequently wake and frequently move from a deep sleep to a light sleep.
Consumption of alcohol and sleeping pills will increase the possible frequency and the length of time of the breathing pauses for a person with sleep apnea.
When suffering from sleep apnea a person cannot breathe in oxygen and thus they are also unable to exhale carbon dioxide which then results in the individual receiving low levels of oxygen and higher levels of carbon dioxide in the their blood.
These two events alert the brain to resume breathing and cause an arousal.
The arousal is a signal that the brain sends to the upper airway muscles to open the airway.
This opening of the airway causes the person to gasp or snort aloud.
These frequent periods of waking really prevent the sleep apnea sufferer from getting a restful night sleep.
It is not clearly known whether sleep apnea causes other conditions such as high blood pressure but a study concluded that up to fifty percent of sufferers do have high blood pressure.
However, these results certainly lead to the idea that this sleep disorder may cause high blood pressure.
People with this type of sleep disorder quite often feel very sleepy during the day due to their interrupted sleep.
Sleep apnea can cause depression, irritability, sexual problems, learning and memory issues as well.
A sufferers spouse is usually the first person that notices a problem.
They may notice loud snoring and a struggle to breathe during the night.
Co-workers who notice the person falling asleep at unusual times during the day may also identify a person with a sleep disorder.
The most important factor is if someone close to you, suspects that you may have a sleep disorder do not ignore them.
Have a doctor conduct some tests; you may need to go to a sleep clinic to have your sleeping patterns monitored.
Trust your doctor, they can provide the best sleep apnea cause.
Several things can be considered a cause though.
Some people may experience a relaxing of the tongue and throat muscles during sleep, which will partially block the airway opening.
The muscles at the base of the tongue and the uvula relax and cause the airway to become blocked.
When the airway is blocked a persons breathing becomes difficult and noisy and in the case of sleep apnea can stop altogether.
The uvula is the small fleshy piece of tissue hanging from the back of a person's throat.
Obesity is also a sleep apnea cause.
Overweight people can have excess amount of tissue in their airway thus causing it to narrow.
The problem then is that the person continues to try to breathe normally but air cannot flow in or out of their nose or mouth.
Since the person is sleeping, they do not know that they are now snoring heavily or experiencing periods of no breathing.
The person will also frequently wake and frequently move from a deep sleep to a light sleep.
Consumption of alcohol and sleeping pills will increase the possible frequency and the length of time of the breathing pauses for a person with sleep apnea.
When suffering from sleep apnea a person cannot breathe in oxygen and thus they are also unable to exhale carbon dioxide which then results in the individual receiving low levels of oxygen and higher levels of carbon dioxide in the their blood.
These two events alert the brain to resume breathing and cause an arousal.
The arousal is a signal that the brain sends to the upper airway muscles to open the airway.
This opening of the airway causes the person to gasp or snort aloud.
These frequent periods of waking really prevent the sleep apnea sufferer from getting a restful night sleep.
It is not clearly known whether sleep apnea causes other conditions such as high blood pressure but a study concluded that up to fifty percent of sufferers do have high blood pressure.
However, these results certainly lead to the idea that this sleep disorder may cause high blood pressure.
People with this type of sleep disorder quite often feel very sleepy during the day due to their interrupted sleep.
Sleep apnea can cause depression, irritability, sexual problems, learning and memory issues as well.
A sufferers spouse is usually the first person that notices a problem.
They may notice loud snoring and a struggle to breathe during the night.
Co-workers who notice the person falling asleep at unusual times during the day may also identify a person with a sleep disorder.
The most important factor is if someone close to you, suspects that you may have a sleep disorder do not ignore them.
Have a doctor conduct some tests; you may need to go to a sleep clinic to have your sleeping patterns monitored.
Trust your doctor, they can provide the best sleep apnea cause.
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