
Obstructive sleep apnea is also a concern with certain medicines and general anesthesia. This disorder, which includes high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels, high blood sugar and an increased waist circumference, is linked to a higher risk of heart disease.Ĭomplications with medicines and surgery. Having sleep apnea increases your risk of developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. If you have heart disease, multiple episodes of low blood oxygen (hypoxia or hypoxemia) can lead to sudden death from an irregular heartbeat. OSA might also increase your risk of recurrent heart attack, stroke and irregular heartbeats, such as atrial fibrillation. Having OSA increases your risk of high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. Sudden drops in blood oxygen levels that occur during OSA increase blood pressure and strain the cardiovascular system. Children and adolescents with sleep apnea might perform poorly in school or have behavior problems. You might also feel quick-tempered, moody or depressed. People with sleep apnea have an increased risk of motor vehicle and workplace accidents.
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You might have trouble concentrating and find yourself falling asleep at work, while watching TV or even when driving. The repeated awakenings associated with sleep apnea make typical, restorative sleep impossible, in turn making severe daytime drowsiness, fatigue and irritability likely. Complications of OSA can include:ĭaytime fatigue. Sleep apnea is a serious medical condition. Having had a stroke increases the risk of central sleep apnea.

Opioid medicines, especially long-acting ones such as methadone, increase the risk of central sleep apnea. Having congestive heart failure increases the risk. Central sleep apnea is more common in men than it is in women. Middle-aged and older people have a higher risk of central sleep apnea. Risk factors for this form of sleep apnea include: Polycystic ovary syndrome, hormonal disorders, prior stroke and chronic lung diseases such as asthma also can increase risk. Congestive heart failure, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes are some of the conditions that may increase the risk of obstructive sleep apnea. If you have trouble breathing through your nose - whether from an anatomical problem or allergies - you're more likely to develop obstructive sleep apnea. Smoking can increase the amount of inflammation and fluid retention in the upper airway. Smokers are three times more likely to have obstructive sleep apnea than are people who've never smoked. These substances relax the muscles in your throat, which can worsen obstructive sleep apnea. 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.
