Use of alcohol, sedatives or tranquilizers.Having family members with sleep apnea might increase your risk. Sleep apnea occurs significantly more often in older adults. However, women increase their risk if they're overweight or if they've gone through menopause. Men are 2 to 3 times more likely to have sleep apnea than are women. Tonsils or adenoids also can enlarge and block the airway, particularly in children. You might have inherited a narrow throat. People with thicker necks might have narrower airways. Fat deposits around your upper airway can obstruct your breathing. Obesity greatly increases the risk of OSA. Obstructive sleep apneaįactors that increase the risk of this form of sleep apnea include: Sleep apnea can affect anyone, even children. You might awaken with shortness of breath or have a difficult time getting to sleep or staying asleep. This means that you make no effort to breathe for a short period. This less common form of sleep apnea occurs when your brain fails to send signals to your breathing muscles. This makes it hard to reach the deep, restful phases of sleep. This pattern can repeat itself 5 to 30 times or more each hour, all night. This awakening is usually so brief that you don't remember it. Your brain senses that you can't breathe, and briefly wakes you so that you can reopen your airway. You can't get enough air, which can lower the oxygen level in your blood. When the muscles relax, your airway narrows or closes as you breathe in. These muscles support the soft palate, the triangular piece of tissue hanging from the soft palate called the uvula, the tonsils, the side walls of the throat and the tongue. This type of sleep apnea happens when the muscles in the back of the throat relax. When these muscles relax, your airway is narrowed or closed, and breathing is momentarily cut off. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the muscles that support the soft tissues in your throat, such as your tongue and soft palate, temporarily relax.
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