Many people who have sleep apnea wonder if there was something they could have done to prevent it. However, there are many extenuating factors that you cannot change when it comes to obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA. There are some things you can do, such as quit smoking, maintain a healthy weight, and cut down on excess alcohol consumption. However, there are some factors that you just can’t do anything about. Age and gender are two such factors. The most common age and gender group for sleep apnea is men over forty and it is rarely seen in people less than thirty years of age.

Many more men than women suffer from sleep apnea. It is estimated that approximately 24% of the male popular has sleep apnea, compared to only 9% of women. This is a significant difference. It has also been found that premenopausal women suffer from sleep apnea less than their post menopausal counterparts. In fact, the gender gap for sleep apnea is almost negligible after menopause in women. There are many theories as to why the gender gap exists in term of sleep apnea, but no concrete evidence has been found.

Genetics appear to play a role in a person’s likelihood of getting sleep apnea. Regardless of gender, if a family member has sleep apnea you are more likely to have it as well during your lifetime.

Ethnicity is yet another factor. Research has found that African Americans, Hispanics, and Pacific Islanders are more likely to suffer from sleep apnea compared to Caucasians. African Americans also appear to develop sleep apnea earlier in life than other ethnicities.

Luckily there are some factors that we can change, such as anatomy. If you have excess tissue in your throat that is causing an obstruction in your airway, you can have a surgical procedure done to remove or reduce it. Determining whether or not surgery will be beneficial to your sleep apnea is up to your doctor and sleep specialist.