Q: Can I have sleep apnea if I don't snore?
A: Yes. While snoring is the most common symptom, approximately 20% of people with sleep apnea don't snore loudly. Women, in particular, may have subtle snoring or breathing irregularities. Other symptoms like morning headaches, daytime fatigue, or mood changes may be more prominent than snoring.
Q: How accurate is the "Do I Have Sleep Apnea" quiz I found online?
A: Online questionnaires like the Epworth Sleepiness Scale or STOP-BANG questionnaire are useful screening tools but cannot diagnose sleep apnea. They help identify people who should seek professional evaluation. A score suggesting high risk doesn't confirm sleep apnea, and a low score doesn't rule it out entirely.
Q: At what age can sleep apnea develop?
A: Sleep apnea can occur at any age, including infancy and childhood. However, it becomes more common with age, particularly after 40. Risk increases due to age-related changes in muscle tone, weight gain, and hormonal changes. Post-menopausal women have significantly higher risk due to decreased estrogen levels.
Q: Is sleep apnea hereditary?
A: There's a genetic component to sleep apnea risk. Having a family member with sleep apnea increases your risk by 2-3 times. However, family clustering may also result from shared lifestyle factors and anatomical features. Even with genetic predisposition, environmental factors like weight and sleep position significantly influence whether you develop the condition.
Q: Can thin people have sleep apnea?
A: Absolutely. While excess weight is a major risk factor, approximately 30% of people with sleep apnea are not overweight. Anatomical factors like jaw structure, tongue size, tonsil enlargement, or nasal obstruction can cause sleep apnea in people of normal weight. This is particularly common in Asian populations due to different facial bone structures.
Q: Do children get sleep apnea?
A: Yes, an estimated 1-5% of children have sleep apnea, usually caused by enlarged tonsils and adenoids. Symptoms in children differ from adults and may include bedwetting, behavioral problems, poor school performance, mouth breathing, and restless sleep. Childhood sleep apnea often resolves after tonsil and adenoid removal.
Q: Can alcohol or medications cause sleep apnea?
A: Alcohol and certain medications can worsen existing sleep apnea or trigger episodes in susceptible individuals. Alcohol, sedatives, muscle relaxants, and some pain medications increase throat muscle relaxation. However, these substances typically worsen an underlying tendency rather than causing sleep apnea in people with normal airways.
Q: How quickly do symptoms develop?
A: Sleep apnea typically develops gradually over months to years. Weight gain, aging, hormonal changes, or anatomical changes slowly worsen airway obstruction. However, some people notice rapid symptom onset following significant weight gain, starting certain medications, or developing nasal congestion from allergies or infections.
Q: Can sleep apnea go away on its own?
A: Sleep apnea rarely resolves without intervention. While temporary factors like nasal congestion or alcohol use may worsen symptoms and improve when addressed, the underlying anatomical or physiological factors usually persist. However, significant weight loss can dramatically improve or even resolve sleep apnea in some overweight individuals.