Sleep apnea causes stem from a condition in which the body has a highly disruptive breathing pattern. Essentially, the body stops breathing momentarily during sleep, only to begin again after the pause. This happens when muscles in the back of the throat are unable to maintain an open airway.
Sleep apnea is often characterized by heavy snoring, breathing problems in the middle of sleep, and feeling tired after a night of sleep. Being overweight, having a small upper airway, smoking, and drinking alcohol can all heighten your risk of developing sleep apnea.
Major warning signs of sleep apnea all but include loud and chronic snoring nightly, pauses in breathing while sleeping, choking and snorting during sleep, waking up in the night feeling short of breath, and or daytime fatigue. Some other warning signs of sleep apnea also include repeated bathroom breaks during the night, dry mouth when you wake up, restless sleep, morning headaches, and forgetfulness.