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Sleep Apnea Causes

Our Beverly Hills sleep center can help identify the cause of your sleep apnea and perform a sleep study to determine the severity of your sleep apnea as well as help you treat it. Contact us today to schedule your appointment! One common type of sleeping disorder is known as sleep apnea, a condition in which a sleeping person experiences multiple periods of paused breathing. What causes sleep apnea is the relaxing of the muscles in the back of the throat. These muscles support the interior structure of the mouth including the soft palate, uvula, tonsils, the walls of the throat, and the tongue.

When throat muscles relax too much, the airway is closed partially or entirely and the body can’t take in new air. Our sleep physicians have extensive experience diagnosing sleeping disorders and may prescribe a sleep apnea test or sleep apnea study to determine if ones symptoms are in fact due to sleep apnea or to another type of sleeping disorder. If sleep apnea is diagnosed, the physician may go on to prescribe the use of a CPAP machine while a person sleeps or an oral appliance. Sleep Study Clinic Los Angeles is a state of the art sleep clinic offering treatment for sleep disorders such as sleep apnea. Our physicians are experienced and accomplished and our staff can answer any questions you may have about sleeping disorders and potential treatment options.

What Causes Sleep Apnea?

What causes sleep apnea is the relaxation of muscles in the throat during sleep. Sleep apnea doesn’t discriminate and just about anyone can develop the condition, but certain factors will significantly increase a person’s chances for developing sleep apnea – those factors include obesity, heart failure and other cardiac disorders, history of stroke, physical features (like the natural width of the airway), family medical history, nasal congestion, gender (men are twice as likely to develop sleep apnea), smoking, age (sleep apnea becomes more likely with age), high blood pressure, and the use of alcohol, sedatives, narcotic pain medications and tranquilizers (because of the relaxing effect they have on the muscles of the body and throat).

Sleep Apnea Test

Symptoms of sleep apnea generally include excessive drowsiness during the day, headaches, waking up with dry mouth, waking from sleep coughing or choking, and snoring so loud that you wake yourself and / or others asleep nearby. If you think you may be experiencing one or more of these sleep apnea related symptoms, then you should make an appointment with a physician who has experience diagnosing sleep related disorders – like a physician with Sleep Study Clinic Los Angeles. For convenience and comfort, we can complete a sleep apnea test in a person’s own home to determine if a person is actually suffering from sleep apnea or a different sleep disorder. If a sleep disorder is diagnosed, we can prescribe a course of treatment that can drastically improve a person’s ability to sleep at night. CPAP Machine For many sleep apnea patients, a CPAP machine – which stands for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure – is like an answer to a prayer.

A CPAP machine works by continuously pumping air through a tube connected to a face or nasal mask worn by the sleeper. The air enters the airway and, through continuous positive pressure, keeps the airway open so that the body can receive oxygen and so the user can enjoy more uninterrupted sleep. Some patients may be treated by an oral appliance that keeps the airways open during sleep and others may require surgery to treat their sleep apnea condition. Sleep Study Clinic Los Angeles Our state of the art sleep clinic is just the place to go if you’re having difficulty getting a full night’s rest or if you think you may suffer from a sleep disorder like sleep apnea. We’re an experienced medical office with physicians on staff and a team of helpful representatives who can answer any of your questions. To schedule an appointment with a sleep disorder physician, get in touch with Sleep Study Clinic Los Angeles today.