Primary causes and risk factors of obstructive sleep apnea

• Being overweight or obese (although 50% of people with sleep apnea are not obese)
• Large tonsils or adenoids
• Other distinctive physical attributes (deviated septum, shape of head and neck, receding chin, enlarged tongue)
• Nasal congestion or blockage (from cold, sinusitis, allergies, smoking, etc.)
• Throat muscles and tongue relax more than normal during sleep (possibly due to alchohol or sedatives or age)

Sleep apnea has serious health consequences and can even be life-threatening. The main effects of sleep apnea are sleep deprivation and oxygen deprivation.

Sleep deprivation

Sleep deprivation hurts the person with sleep apnea and the bed partner. Frequent waking, whether remembered or not, causes fitful sleep and prohibits therapeutic rest. A bed partner may lose an hour or more of sleep each night from sleeping next to a person with sleep apnea. Along with the apnea episodes, side effects like excessive sweating and a frequent need to urinate disrupt sleep.
Often, a person with sleep apnea will wake up feeling like they have not slept or have difficulty staying awake during the day. Some trickle-down effects of sleep deprivation include a compromised immune system, poor mental and emotional health, and irritability.

Oxygen deprivation

When you stop breathing, your brain does not get enough oxygen. Serious problems can result from the oxygen deprivation of sleep apnea, including heart disease, high blood pressure, sexual dysfunction, and learning/memory problems.

Depression and sleep apnea

Approximately one in five people who suffer from depression also suffer from sleep apnea, and people with sleep apnea are five times more likely to become depressed. Existing depression may also be worsened by sleep apnea. While it is not clear whether the apnea causes the depression or vice-versa, studies show that by treating sleep apnea symptoms, depression may be alleviated in some people.

Sex Is A Factor In Sleep Apnea

The public’s perception is often that men are more likely to snore and, therefore, to suffer from sleep apnea, but this is not the case.  This study suggests that the physical examination for this disorder should incorporate gender differences. The study found that women seeking medical help for sleep apnea were older, had a higher BMI, and had a lower apnea index, when compared with men. Men more often had an obstruction in the nose, a larger uvula and a shorter distance between the uvula and the pharyngeal wall. This differed from women, who revealed a more marked retro- position of the tongue and tended to have more gag reflexes. In women, BMI and the size of the uvula was associated with AHI; in men, the index score was associated with the BMI, the height of the tongue, the size of the uvula and the distance between the uvula and the pharyngeal wall. The researchers concluded that scores indicating a propensity for sleep apnea for men and women are associated with BMI and the size of the uvula. But for men alone, the easily identifiable predictive features for this disorder are a high position of the tongue, a decreased distance between the uvula and the pharyngeal wall; in women, a retro-position of the mandible and large tonsils seem to be the primary risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea.