Factors Increasing Your Risk of Sleep Apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea can affect anyone, but certain variables may make you more prone to acquire the disorder or already have it. Consult your problem with Liberty Sleep Apnea.
1. Obesity
Carrying too much weight is the most frequent risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea. According to some studies, as many as 40% of obese adults may suffer from sleep apnea. Neeraj Kalish, MD, the director of sleep laboratories and a clinical associate professor of neurology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, specializes in sleep medicine. He says that fat deposits around the tongue and palate, in the neck, and the areas surrounding these areas narrow and tighten the airway. When you’re lying down to sleep, it gets considerably more [locked up].” (It should be noted that not all people who are overweight have the condition. Thin people can also have obstructive sleep apnea.)
2. Large Tonsils or Adenoids
Some people may find it challenging to breathe while they are sleeping due to smaller airways, huge tonsils, or adenoids. The most frequent causes of obstructive sleep apnea in children, according to Ronald Chervin, MD, director of the Sleep Disorders Centers and professor of sleep medicine and neurology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, are large tonsils and adenoids.
3. Size or Alignment of the Jaw
Certain conditions or genetic factors, according to Robson Capasso, MD, chief of sleep surgery and associate professor of otolaryngology and head and neck surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine in California, can result in an imbalance in facial structure, causing the tongue to sit further back in the mouth and causing sleep apnea.
4. An Apneic Sleep Disorder in the Family
If you have a family history of obstructive sleep apnea, you may be more prone to develop the issue. Your cranial facial features and the way your airway is shaped may be inherited from your family, which may affect whether or not you develop sleep apnea.