The brain sends signals for the throat muscles to open up the airway again. Air can then move through your throat again. If you have sleep apnea, this cycle may repeat as often as 50 or more times an hour. Being overweight may cause a narrowing of your airway. Tobacco smoking, a lot of alcohol drinking, and lung diseases may also put you at risk of having this problem.
Some people inherit a tendency to have sleep apnea.
Less common symptoms are unexplained weight gain and high blood pressure. If you snore and feel you do not usually get a good night's rest, you should ask your health care provider if you might have sleep apnea. Examine your throat and nasal passages. Do a sleep study to measure your heart rate, brain waves, chest movement, and blood oxygen levels while you sleep. The study will help determine if your body slows movement of air during sleep or if your air movement stops completely during sleep.