What are the risk factors for sleep apnea?

Sleep apnea can affect anyone, even children, but certain factors increase your risk.

While all types of sleep apnea are characterized by breathing that stops and starts repeatedly, the risk factors also vary by the type of sleep apnea you might have.

Obstructive sleep apnea risk factors:

• Being overweight. Since fat deposits around your upper airway can  obstruct your breathing, being overweight greatly increases the risk of sleep apnea.
• Neck circumference. If you have a thicker neck, you might have narrower airways.
• Narrow airway. You might have inherited a narrow throat. Tonsils or adenoids also can enlarge and block the airway, particularly in children.
• Being male. Men are 2 to 3 times more likely to have sleep apnea than women. Women increase their risk if they're overweight, though, and the risk is higher after menopause.
• Older age. Sleep apnea occurs significantly more often in older adults.
• Family history. Having family members with sleep apnea might increase your risk.
• Using alcohol, sedatives or tranquilizers. Since these substances relax the muscles in your throat, they can worsen obstructive sleep apnea.
• Smoking. Smokers are 3 times more likely to have obstructive sleep apnea than are people who've never smoked since it can increase the amount of inflammation and fluid retention in your upper airway.
• Nasal congestion. If you have difficulty breathing through your nose, you're more likely to develop obstructive sleep apnea.

Central sleep apnea risk factors:

• Older age. Middle-aged and older people have a higher risk of central sleep apnea.
• Being male. Central sleep apnea is more common in men than it is in women.
• Heart disorders. Having congestive heart failure increases the risk.
• Using narcotic pain medications. Opioid medications, especially long-acting ones such as methadone, increase the risk of central sleep apnea.
• Stroke. Having had a stroke increases your risk of central sleep apnea or treatment-emergent central sleep apnea.