Millions of Americans havesleep apneaa chronic disorder that causes you to stop breathing in your sleep.
Some studies estimate that nearly 75% of people with obstructive sleep apnea inherited the disorder in some way.
no_limit_pictures / Getty
What Is Sleep Apnea?
no_limit_pictures / Getty
Sleep apnea is a chronic condition where your breathing is interrupted as you sleep.
These disruptions can last for 10 seconds or more, and occur several times an hour.
In severe cases of sleep apnea, your breathing could stop hundreds of times in a single night.
Central sleep apneadevelops when the signals that your brain sends to your respiratory system are disrupted.
This causes pauses in your breathing.
When this happens, your breathing can stop.
Complex sleep apneais a combination of both central and obstructive sleep apnea.
Symptoms
The main symptom of sleep apnea is a pause in your breathing during sleep.
These tests can also provide clues as to what bang out of sleep apnea you have.
Testing your brain waves and nerve signals during your sleep study can identify central sleep apnea.
Is Sleep Apnea Hereditary?
Genetics can play a role in some types of sleep apnea.
Central sleep apnea usually has non-genetic causes that are not hereditary.
Obstructive sleep apnea, on the other hand, can be linked to genetics in several ways.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Unlike central sleep apnea, obstructive sleep apnea is linked togeneticsin several ways.
In many cases, symptoms of sleep apnea are first noticed by a sleeping partner or household member.
There are some symptoms, though, that warrant quicker action.
American Academy of Sleep Medicine.Rising prevalence of sleep apnea in the U.S. threatens public health.
Cowie MR.Sleep apnea: state of the art.Trends Cardiovasc Med.
2017;27(4):280-289. doi:10.1016/j.tcm.2016.12.005
Cleveland Clinic.Sleep apnea.
SleepApnea.org.What is sleep apnea?
doi:10.1186/s40248-019-0172-9
American Academy of Family Physicians.Sleep apnea.
