Risk Factors

Sleep apnea can affect anyone at any age including children.  Risk factors include:

Obstructive Sleep Apnea
•    Being overweight (thin people are affect too.)
•    Having a neck size greater than 17 inches
•    High blood pressure (hypertension)
•    Being male
•    Being over the age of forty
•    A narrowed airway
•    A family history of sleep apnea
•    Having large tonsils, a large tongue or a small jaw bone
•    The use of alcohol, sedatives or tranquilizers
•    Gastroesophageal reflux disease (or GERD)
•    Smoking
•    Nasal obstruction due to a deviated septum, allergies or sinus problems

Central Sleep Apnea
•    Being male
•    Being older
•    Stroke or brain tumor
•    Heart disorders

Complex Sleep Apnea
•    The same risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea.

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