Sleep Apnea - Causes and Risk Factors | NHLBI, NIH
Mar 24, 2022 · Central sleep apnea is caused by problems with the way your brain controls your breathing while you sleep. Obstructive sleep apnea is caused by conditions that block airflow through your upper airways during sleep. For example, your tongue may fall backward and block your airway. Causes of sleep apnea.
Sleep Apnea - What Is Sleep Apnea? - NHLBI, NIH
Mar 24, 2022 · Central sleep apnea happens when your brain does not send the signals needed to breathe. Health conditions that affect how your brain controls your airway and chest muscles can cause central sleep apnea. To diagnose sleep apnea, your provider may have you do a sleep study. Breathing devices such as continuous positive air pressure (CPAP ...
Sleep Apnea - Sleep Apnea and Women - NHLBI, NIH
Mar 24, 2022 · Sleep apnea is often more serious in the third trimester of pregnancy and may improve after your baby is born. Pregnant women who are older or who have obesity have a higher risk of sleep apnea. In pregnant women, sleep apnea can cause many complications, including: Cesarean sections; Gestational diabetes; High blood pressure; Low birth weight ...
Sleep Apnea - Living With - NHLBI, NIH
Mar 24, 2022 · Sleep apnea affects many parts of your body. It can cause low oxygen levels in your body during sleep and can prevent you from getting enough good quality sleep. Also, it takes a lot of effort for you to restart breathing many times during sleep, and this can damage your organs and blood vessels.
Sleep Apnea - Symptoms - NHLBI, NIH
Mar 24, 2022 · Your partner may alert you to some of the symptoms of sleep apnea, such as: Breathing that starts and stops during sleep; Frequent loud snoring; Gasping for air during sleep; You may also notice the following symptoms yourself: Daytime sleepiness and tiredness, which can lead to problems learning, focusing, and reacting; Dry mouth or headaches
Does how loud you snore matter to your health? | NHLBI, NIH
Mar 13, 2024 · Huge because sleep apnea can be linked with high blood pressure, increase the risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Left untreated, it can be fatal. “To properly acknowledge the severity of sleep apnea from snore sounds,” Vena said, “we need to understand what causes snoring to the full extent.” A shift in thinking
Sleep Apnea - Treatment - NHLBI, NIH
Sep 6, 2023 · A breathing device, such as a continuous positive airway pressure machine, is the most common treatment for sleep apnea. A CPAP machine provides constant air pressure throughout your upper airways to keep them open and help you breathe while you sleep. Such breathing devices often work best when they are paired with healthy lifestyle changes.
Sleep apnea: NHLBI sheds light on an underdiagnosed disorder
Aug 22, 2017 · Obstructive sleep apnea, the most common, is caused by blockage of the upper airway and results in temporarily impaired airflow during sleep. This blockage sometimes causes loud snoring, snorting, and gasping, but not everyone who snores has sleep apnea. Central sleep apnea occurs when the brain fails to send correct signals to your breathing ...
Sleep Apnea - Diagnosis - NHLBI, NIH
Mar 24, 2022 · Your provider will also want to know whether you are using medicines, such as opioids, that could affect your sleep or cause breathing symptoms of sleep apnea. They may want to know whether you have traveled recently to altitudes greater than 6,000 feet, because these low-oxygen environments can cause symptoms of sleep apnea for a few weeks ...
Sleep Apnea Research - NHLBI, NIH
3 days ago · The NHLBI supports research on the different causes of sleep apnea, including obesity, and why some people still have sleep apnea even after losing weight. We fund projects exploring the links between sleep apnea and other serious health conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.