During sleep, your body and brain go through three stages of rest: light sleep (stage 1); deep sleep (stage 2); and REM sleep (stage 3). Each stage plays an important role in your health and well-being. If you are not getting enough quality sleep, you may experience problems with your physical or emotional health. This is especially true for people who suffer from sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea happens when your upper airway closes during sleep, leaving you gasping for breath and feeling like you are choking. These breathing pauses (apnea) can occur many times per hour and last for seconds to a few minutes at a time. This causes your heart to pump harder and raises your blood pressure. Over time, this can lead to high blood pressure and heart disease.

Understanding the Causes of Sleep Apnea

Central sleep apnea occurs when the brain fails to send the proper signals to the muscles that control your breathing. This type of apnea can be triggered by being overweight, taking certain medications or having a medical condition such as atrial fibrillation or congestive heart failure. Symptoms of this type of apnea include trouble sleeping, daytime sleepiness, and memory problems.

Causes of sleep apnea vary, but common ones are being overweight, having a large tonsil or enlarged adenoids, being male, and age. In general, sleep apnea is more common in men and those assigned males at birth, but it affects women after they reach menopause. Older adults who take narcotic pain medicines and those who have heart disease or a stroke are more likely to develop sleep apnea.