What is the cause of Apnea ?

[JAnderson]

Well It is observed that apnea is becoming more common among the adult people who take sleep in the night and while sleeping their breath stops temporarily . I have very important question that what is the major cause of this problem ?.

[martin]

Welcome to the society of hoseheads, may your stay be long and happy. There are various causes, my own seems to be soft tissue that falls in my throat when asleep causing snoring akin to a jet engine and a gasping revolting snort that evokes the feeling of a hippo with a cold (my wifes' description, I was asleep). Others here are more medically and tech inclined and can prob give more detailed information, I am simply glad that it works. On Cpap over 2 years now (had tried surgery up the nose prior to cpap and the less said about that the better) and despite occasional nights when the octopoid face hugger and myself seem to do more wrestling than sleeping we get on very well and the difference in sleep and energy levels is amazing.

[Sparticus]

Definition: Literally meaning “no breath”, apnea is a transient cessation of breathing (often while asleep) that lasts for at least 10 seconds. This results in a lack of air movement into the lungs and can cause oxygen levels in the blood to drop.
Apnea may be due to obstruction of the upper airway or a failure of the brain to initiate a breath.

[silvercarper]

Whiplash, after a RTA , 30 years ago.
Not a chance in hell of ever proving it BUT!!!!!!

[Liptugga]

Hi
In my case I was told that the soft skin at the back of my nose was collapsing along with the muscles in my neck relaxing

the soft skin making me roar
and the muscle relaxing and resting on my wind pipe shutting it off

forcing air down it stops the roaring and keeps my wind tunnel open

oh and the wife gets to sleep aswell

[Smith1]

Obstructive slumber apnea happens when the muscles in the back of your throat unwind. The aforementioned muscles uphold the delicate sense of taste, the triangular bit of tissue dangling from the delicate sense of taste (uvula), the tonsils, the side dividers of the throat and the tongue.

[symmit]

As to why it is more common, i think it is due to more awareness. People are now seeking diagnosis and treatment for something that would have been a silent killer (stroke /heart attack / died in sleep / died in a nasty accident) that now can go from googling "bad snoring, nightmares, tired in day" to test to treatment quite simply and inexpensively, without surgical intervention.