Sleep Apnea Causes

There are several causes of sleep apnea. These causes stem from both physical conditions and health problems. The presence of one or more of these causal factors increase the likelihood that someone will develop or experience sleep apnea.

There are two main physical sleep apnea causes. The first physical cause of sleep apnea is a malformation of the bone and/or soft tissue that surrounds the airway. This malformation can decrease or block how much air is getting through the passageway, leading to sleep apnea.

Another one of the physical sleep apnea causes is an over-relaxation of the tongue and throat muscles when a person is asleep. This can lead to the tongue blocking the airway, which will inhibit the person's ability to breathe, or even worse, stop them from breathing all together. Changing your sleeping position may help reduce sleep apnea problems related to this physical condition.

In addition to physical sleep apnea causes, this disorder can also be caused by medical conditions. Obesity is a major risk factor in developing sleep apnea. In fact 70 percent of the people who suffer from sleep apnea are also obese. In addition to being obese, people who are being treated for allergies, anxiety, and depression may also be at risk for developing sleep apnea because the medications used to treat these conditions have a tendency to relax the throat muscles and throat tissues which could cause it to narrow and decrease the person's ability to breathe.

Finally there are self-induced sleep apnea causes. The first of these self-induced causes of sleep apnea is drinking alcohol. Alcohol consumption impairs the part of the brain that controls a person's breathing. Drinking too much alcohol, or drinking alcohol on a regular basis, especially right before sleeping, can lead to a narrowing of a person's airway and cause sleep apnea. The second self-induced cause of sleep apnea is using more than the recommended dosage of sedatives or antihistamines. These OTC drugs can over-relax the throat and cause sleep apnea by narrowing the person's air passageway.