CAUSES OF SLEEP APNEA
Who gets Sleep Apnea ?
If you wonder what are the causes of sleep apnea, here are some facts that will answer your question:
- male gender - researchers have observed that men have greater chances to have sleep apnea than women.
- It’s more common in African-Americans and Hispanics than in Caucasians.
- People who are overweight (Body Mass Index of 25 to 29) and obese (BMI of 30 and above).
- Men and women with large neck size: 17 inches or more for men, 16 inches or more for women.
- People with abnormalities of the soft tissue structure of the head and neck.
- Children with large tonsils and adenoids.
- People with Down Syndrome
- Increasing age - when you become older, there is an increased risk to get a sleep disorder.
- family history of sleep apnea.
- drugs, such as narcotics, benzodiazepines and alcohol.
- Smokers
As you can see from the list, almost anyone can suffer from sleep apnea, at any age, but is most common in men, and especially obese middle-aged men.
There is a strong relationship between weight and obstructive sleep apnea: your neck gets thicker as you gain weight, and this increases the level of fat in the back of the throat, narrowing the airway. The more fat in the throat, the more likely the airway is to become blocked.
You can improve your symptoms by eliminating the causes of sleep apnea:
- Smoking is a common factor that can decrease the amount of oxygen in your blood. It's wise to stop smoking if you care about your health.
- have you tried
positional therapy for sleep apnea?
This is really healpful for patinets with mild or moderate sleep apnea.
- Avoid narcotics in the evening.
- Did you know that
weight loss is one of the most effective treatment
for patients with obesity and sleep apnea?
- Do you like to drink alcohol in the week as well as at the weekend? You should avoid alcohol, because it can increase the number of apnea events.
- sleep apnea exercises
will boost your health, improving your physical and mental condition.
Shift work
is another factor that can aggravate your sleep apnea symptoms. I had
the same problem, and I had to change my job to get a normal sleep.
If you have a messy life that worsen your condition, it is
better to improve
your life style when you are still in power. Or else, you will just stay in bed all night and breathe with the help of CPAP (if this idea sounds interesting to you).
Sleep-Apnea-Guide Handbook
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