What is the cause of sleep apnea
Asked on: Sep 14, 2023 01:26 AM
Alright, imagine you're trying to drink a milkshake through a straw, but someone keeps pinching the straw. That's pretty annoying, right? Well, that's kind of what happens with sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a pesky condition where your breathing repeatedly stops and starts while you're catching some Zzzs.
There are two main culprits behind this: Obstructive sleep apnea and Central sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is like that annoying friend who keeps pinching your milkshake straw. It happens when the muscles in the back of your throat relax too much and block your airway. Imagine if that milkshake were so thick it got stuck in the straw - that's obstructive sleep apnea for you.
On the other hand, central sleep apnea is like forgetting to suck on the straw in the first place! This happens when your brain doesn't send proper signals to control your breathing while you're asleep. So even though there's no physical blockage, you still can't breathe properly because your brain took a little nap too!
And then there's complex sleep apnea syndrome which is a mix of both! It's as if someone is pinching your straw AND you forget to suck on it at the same time! Yikes!
So there you have it: Sleep Apnea 101 with Mr. Art!
Reference: Mayo Clinic - Sleep Apnea
