10 Causes of Sleep Apnea

By james

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Sleep is very important for everybody. If we don’t get enough sleep then we can struggle to perform even simple tasks the next day and our mood can also be affected considerably. Extended periods of sleeplessness are likely to cause acute problems, severely affecting our mental health.

Sleeping is easier for some people than others, though. Some people can struggle to fall asleep no matter how tired they may be. Others will have difficulty sleeping deeply enough and some will find their sleep is often disturbed. Sleep apnea is a condition where people often wake in their sleep because they are unable to breathe. There are various causes of this, along with various remedies.

Cause #1: Central Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep is when the patient’s breathing is interrupted by a physical blockage in the airways, and there are many potential reasons for this. Central sleep apnea is different in that it is caused within the brain and not by an obstruction. Basically, the brain fails to tell the muscles that they need to be working to help us breathe.

Central sleep apnea is often treated with medication but other more direct methods are also sometimes used. One example is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), which uses air pressure to keep the airways open. Central sleep apnea can be fatal, particularly in the very old and sick, so it is something that needs to be taken seriously.