Common Risk Factors
Common Risk Factors For Obstructive Sleep Apnea
- Worsens with increasing age with one out of 25 middle-aged men and one out of 50 middle-aged women affected by it.
- Obesity with a BMI (body mass index) greater than 25
- 17-inch neck
- Rapid weight gain*
- Family history of disordered sleep and high blood pressure
- Alcohol and medications contributing to muscle relaxation and airway obstruction
- Craniofacial structure — persons generally have a high and narrow palate, elongated soft palate, small jaw and an abnormal overjet
- Enlarged tonsils and adenoids
- Race — higher incidence of obstructive sleep apnea in African Americans, Mexican Americans, Pacific Islanders and Asians