An apnea is a pause in one’s breathing pattern that usually lasts between a few seconds to a few minutes. As this involuntary cease in breathing mostly happen during sleep, medical specialists have generalized the condition as sleep apnea. While there are various forms of this condition, there is no arguing that proper sleep apnea treatments should be provided to prevent further complications.
To better understand the condition, it’s best that you know the causes first; particularly if you suspect you have this sleep disorder or one in your family has it. More importantly, you can make initial assessment right at home whether you need to seek medical attention right away or simply opt for home remedies and other easier sleep apnea treatments.
Here are the most common causes of sleep apnea:
1. Lack of oxygen as required by normal respiratory processes could lead to sleep apnea. This means that during the sleep period, not enough oxygen flows toward the lungs. This causes the snoring sounds within the human airway. The collapsible walls made of soft tissues in the airway become too relaxed and thus obstructs breathing which is particular to obstructive sleep apnea type.
2. Infections in the upper respiratory system could also cause sleep apnea. Though milder in form, such ailments could affect the breathing patterns due to lowered oxygen flow. Sever cases of upper respiratory infections naturally cause more serious sleep apnea problems where those affected could suffer from other riskier complications such as hypoxemia or low blood oxygen.
3. Diabetes is also a leading cause of sleep apnea, particularly when classified as a borderline diabetic condition. When the blood glucose levels are left unchecked, it results to increasing fatigue and irregular flow of oxygen in the muscular and respiratory systems of the body. The two then leads to sleep apnea and other common sleep disorders. To date, medical experts pegged the risks of diabetic patients to three times higher than healthy persons.
4. Obesity has also been a noted cause of sleep apnea. The primary reason is that the soft fatty tissues would pose obstruction in the windpipe walls, thus affecting the flow of oxygen to the lungs. Many people who gained weight in a matter of eight months to a year would experience sleep apnea as fats in the neck area push airways to constricted sizes.
5. Aging also has a lot to do with sleep apnea. When a person gets older, the brain’s ability to send off signals during sleep somehow wanes. This results to the relaxing of the muscular region in the throat, instead of being stiff and open for air flow. With the muscles softening and getting relaxed, it narrows the airway and makes breathing irregular. Often, the muscles collapse as well, leading to abnormal breathing and then disrupts sleep. However, because of this noted disturbance, the brain sends of signals so that the airway muscles and windpipe gets stiff again for better breathing.
6. Serious heart ailments such as congenital condition and cerebrovascular disease could also trigger sleep apnea. These health risks are mostly present in those with reported central sleep apnea like pre-term infants.
7. Smokers have higher tendencies to have sleep apnea as well. It has been recently reported by respiratory specialists that smokers have increased their risks three times as compared to non-smokers. While any other addiction is noted to pose threats of sleep disorders, smoking leads among all unhealthy habits primarily because of its effects on the respiratory and cardiovascular systems.
It has been pointed out as well that smoking increases retention of fluids in the upper airway as well as cause inflammation in the respiratory region, thus, causes sleep apnea.
These seven causes of sleep apnea, while mostly common among those in their middle ages and over, could also happen to younger people. In particular, those who have stationary lifestyle and young adults who sit for hours at work. Doctors point out as well that apart from age, having a history of sleep apnea in the family also slightly increases the risk of following generations. Those who consume too much alcohol, and the people who are heavily medicating on sedatives and tranquilizers increase their risk of contracting sleep apnea as well.
Having said all these, the way to go and avoid sleep apnea is lead a healthy life. In the end, you won’t have to worry about getting disruptions in your nightly rests. Most of all, so you will be fit, able and lead a good life.
