Sleep apnea is a disorder that repeatedly interrupts a person’s sleep because of a blockage in the airway that causes obstructed breathing when they’re asleep. It is not only extremely disturbing but also painful and life-threatening if not treated in time. Apart from the most common type of the disease that’s called Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), there are two other types of the disease, namely, central sleep apnea and mixed sleep apnea. Knowing about the causes of sleep apnea can help understand this sleep disorder better. It can also facilitate early diagnosis and timely medical attention by helping identify the symptoms, so here are the causes of this sleep disorder:

Muscular changes
Normally, the muscles that help keep the airways open are relaxed when a person sleeps. Even the tongue is relaxed to allow the airway to be open. However, in people with sleep apnea, the muscles relax too much, which ends up preventing airflow to and from the lungs. That is why muscular changes in terms of how the muscles relax turn out to be a leading cause of sleep apnea.

Physical obstruction
Most sleep apnea patients are obese, which makes the condition one of the common causes of this sleep disorder because it causes physical obstruction. For instance, the presence of additional thickened tissues or excessive fat stored around the airways can restrict airflow, causing difficulty breathing. Since air has to squeeze past the airway, it ends up causing loud snoring, which is a major symptom of sleep apnea. That said, such physical obstructions can also occur in people who are not obese.

Unusual brain function
To understand this cause in detail, you must know about Central Sleep Apnea (CSA). This is caused when there is no blockage of the airway as such but the brain fails to signal the respiratory muscles to function when one is asleep. So, in the case of CSA, the faulty neurological controls for breathing are the cause. This leads to a malfunctioning of the control as well as the rhythm of one’s breathing. Experts are of the opinion that this defective brain function is one of the major causes of sleep apnea, but it does not happen just like that. It is usually triggered by an underlying medical condition like a stroke, heart failure, an ascent to high altitude, or simply excessive use of pain relief medication.

These are the most common causes of sleep apnea. Unfortunately, this sleep disorder can affect anyone, but proper treatment can help a lot with managing the symptoms. Consulting a doctor and getting the right medical advice is of paramount importance for anyone suffering from sleep apnea.