Causes of Sleep Apnea in Women

Sleep apnea is a kind of a sleep disorder in which a person experiences reduction of breathing during sleep. There are three types of sleep apnea which are central apnea, obstructive apnea and a combination of central and obstructive apnea. Sleep apnea is a condition which is more common in men than in women but it does affect many women as well.Causes of Sleep Apnea in Women

There are several causes of sleep apnea in women and some of them may include collapse of the airway during sleep time and the failure of the brain to stimulate the breathing muscles during sleep. The following are some of the main causes of this sleeping disorder in women:

Causes

The main cause of sleep apnea in the case of females is that the brain is unable to activate those muscles in our body which are related to our breathing. This may happen during sleeping and hence cause an obstruction and collapse of the air path. Thus a person experiences reduction in the breathing.

The airway gets blocked when the soft tissues which are located at the back of the throat get relaxed and start closing up which causes a person to snore. Then the airflow stops due to the blockage of the airway. This makes the person wake up briefly due to reduction in breathing.

Complications associated with sleep apnea

Sleep apnea may cause further complications, some of which may include high blood pressure, heart disease, daytimes sleepiness due to lack of sleep in the night time and even automobile accidents due to the sleepiness in the day. Infect sleep apnea may also result in difficulty in concentration, lack of remembering power and problems in thinking clearly.

Symptoms of sleep apnea in women

  • One of the most common symptoms or signs of sleep apnea is a feeling of sleepiness during the day time.
  • If you find it hard to stay awake and find difficulty in concentration then you might be suffering from this particular sleep disorder and must get it treated as soon as you can.
  • Some other symptoms of sleep apnea include constant headaches, memory problems and even depression in some cases.

Women suffering from sleep apnea are much more likely to suffer from brain damage than men. This is a serious disorder which if not treated can result in causing about 100 sleep interruptions. Thus this condition must be treated as soon as it is detected.