A lot is spoken about sleep apnea these days. While it used to be largely common among adults, it is slowly becoming a ‘regularly reported condition’ among children also. This condition can be defined in simple terms as the cessation of breath during one’s sleep. What causes it largely depends on the type of sleep apnea, which is largely classified into three categories, as discussed below:

• Central sleep apnea (CSA)
• Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)
• A mix of the two (mentioned above)

CSA and what causes it?

This is a condition where the brain stops sending the signal to breathe to the muscles that are responsible for breathing. It mostly occurs in infants and in adults who have a heart disease or congenital disease. It is also known to occur in high altitudes. These causes vary with the type of SA one has, which includes:

• Cheyne-stokes breathing
  This type is associated with congestive heart failure or even a stroke. During the breathing process, there is an increase and then decrease in the effort of breath and airflow. During the weakest breathing effort, there is a total lack of airflow, which paves the way to CSA.
• Drug-induced apnea
  Opioids, for example, are known to cause trouble in breathing viz., by increasing and decreasing the inhale and exhale of breath or causing it to go irregular. There could also be episodes of rapid breathing and under breathing and all put together causing CSA.
• Treatment-emergent central sleep apnea
  This is a case where people who fall under ISA also develop CSA during their treatment process.
• Medical condition-induced central sleep apnea
  Chronic medical conditions like diseases of kidney, stroke or any neurological damage could lead to this category of SA.

OSA and its causes

OSA is one of the most common types of sleep apnea across the country. The airways get obstructed or even get collapsed and this means that a lot more effort is required to breathe. This results in an unsuccessful effort to breathe efficiently. In addition, the oxygen levels in the blood drops and finally, less amount of oxygen goes into the brain. The brain then immediately acts, alerting the body to wake up and this is when you ‘really wake up,’ perhaps scaring your partner by gasping for air.

In addition to the above causes,

• If you weigh excess, fats get accumulated in and around the upper airway, which could potentially obstruct the upper airway and cause trouble breathing. Hyperthyroidism, PCOD, obesity etc., are susceptible to SA.
• If you have narrowed airways, or your adenoids or tonsils have become enlarged, it could cause SA.
• Smoking and nasal congestion that is chronic in nature are also in high risk categories and cause SA. In addition, research has shown that a person is twice more likely to get CA if they have nasal congestion that is largely experienced in the night hours. Asthma has also been linked to SA and is believed now to be a cause for SA.